IRLF 


ma  MS? 


• 


LIBRARY 

OF  TIIK 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Mrs.  SARAH  P   WALSWORTH. 

Received  October,  1894. 
Accessions  No.  S^3^.      Class  No. 


A   AM  IE) 


NEW  YOMKs   GO  F.    PUTNAM. 


TRAVELS 


IX 


GREECE  AND   RUSSIA, 


WITH   AN 


EXCURSION  TO   CRETE. 


BY 

BAYARD    TAYLOR. 


NEW    YORK:    G-.    P.    PUTNAM. 

SAN    FRANCISCO:    H.    H.    BANCROFT    &    CO. 

1859. 


-T 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1859,  by 

BAYARD  TAYLOE, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


&     CBAIGIIEAD, 
Printer,  Stereotyper,  and  Klectrotyper, 

Carton  tfutltring, 

81,  83,  and  85  Centrt  Street. 


PEEF  ACE. 


THE  reader  will  observe  that  in  describing  Greece,  I 
have  devoted  myself  to  the  physical  aspects  of  the  coun 
try,  and  the  character  and  habits  of  its  present  popula 
tion,  rather  than  to  its  past  history  and  classic  associa 
tions.  If,  therefore,  there  are  no  new  pictures  in  this 
volume,  there  may  be,  at  least,  some  old  and  familiar 
subjects  exhibited  under  new  atmospheric  effects.  I 
should  otherwise  have  hesitated  to  select  a  field  which 
may  be  considered  well-nigh  exhausted,  were  it  not  that 
the  country  is  still  in  a  transition  state,  and  every  few 
years  presents  a  new  phase  to  the  traveller's  eye. 

Owing  to  the  pressure  of  other  literary  labors,  this 
volume  has  been  too  rapidly  prepared  for  the  press,  to 
allow  me  to  add  a  special  chapter  on  the  Ethnology  of 
Greece,  as  I  had  originally  designed.  I  can  only  record 
my  complete  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  views  enter 
tained  by  Fallmereyer,  that  the  modern  Greeks  are  a 


PREFACE. 


mongrel  race,  in  which  the  Slavic  element  is  predomi 
nant,  and  that  the  pure  Hellenic  blood  is  to  be  found 
only  in  a  few  localities. 

The  chapters  relating  to  Russia  must  be  considered  as 
studies  rather  than  finished  pictures.  They  are  an  at 
tempt  to  sketch  the  gay,  bizarre,  incongruous  external 
forms  of  Russian  life.  Anything  more  could  not  be  safely 
attempted  without  a  longer  residence  in  the  country  and 
a  knowledge  of  the  language — both  of  which  I  hope  to 
accomplish  at  some  future  day.  So  far,  however,  as  the 
Greek  Church  is  concerned,  it  may  be  interesting  to  the 
reader  to  trace  its  character  and  influence  in  the  two 
countries,  which,  with  a  common  ambition,  are  far  from 
having  a  common  destiny. 

BAYARD  TAYLOR. 

NEW  YORK,  July,  1859. 


CONTENTS. 


PAOB 

CHAPTER  I. 
Pictures  from  the  Dalmatian  Coast, 1 

CHAPTER  II. 
Further  from  Dalmatia, 9 

CHAPTER  III. 
First  Days  in  Greece, 22 

CHAPTER  IV. 
On  the  Acropolis, 34 

CHAPTER  Y. 
"Winter  Life  in  Athens, 45 

CHAPTER  VI. 
A  Greek  Baptism, 54 

CHAPTER  VIL 
The  Court  of  King  Otho, 62 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Greek  Festivals,  Religious  and  Civic, 76 

CHAPTER  IX. 
An  Excursion  to  Crete, 89 

CHAPTER  X. 
A  Cretan  Journey, 101 


VI  CONTENTS. 

PACM 

CHAPTER  XL 
Our  Imprisonment  at  Rhithymnos, 112 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Caverns,  Mountains,  and  Labyrinths  of  Crete,    .         .         .         .123 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Two  Days  with  an  Archbishop, 137 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Earthquake  at  Corinth, 148 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Argolis  and  Arcadia, 1G1 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Four  Days  among  the  Spartans, 1C9 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Messenia,  Elis,  and  Achaia, 186 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Byron  in  Greece, 203 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Haunts  of  the  Muses 216 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Parnassus  and  the  Dorian  Mountains, 226 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
The  Frontier  of  Thessaly, 237 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Adventures  in  Euboea, 247 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
People  and  Government,          ........     261 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Agriculture  and  Resources, 273 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Return  to  the  North, 281 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Cracow,  and  the  Salt  Mines  of  Wieliczka, 289 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
A  Glance  at  Warsaw, .303 


CONTENTS.  Vli 

PAGB 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
A  Journey  through  Central  Russia, 315 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
A  Panoramic  View  of  Moscow, ,  325 

CHAPTER  y?nr. 

The  Kremlin, 334 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
A  Visit  to  the  Foundling  Hospital, 348 

CHAPTER  XXXIL 
Moscow,  In-doors  and  Out, 359 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Railroads  in  Russia, ,371 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
St.  Petersburg  and  its  Palaces, 381 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Tzarsko  Selo,  Paulovsk  and  the  Islands, 394 

CHAPTER  XXXVL 
Varieties  of  the  Russian  Capital, 40f 

CHAPTER  XXXVIL 
Journey  through  the  Baltic  Provinces,    ...  ,    417 


TRAVELS  H  GREECE  AND  RUSSIA. 


i. 

GREECE. 
CHAPTER  I. 

PICTURES    FROM    THE    DALMATIAN    COAST. 

AFTER  giving  up  the  hope  of  enjoying  a  Siberian  Winter, 
which  had  been  my  original  intention,  I  determined  to  go 
as  near  as  possible  to  the  opposite  extreme  of  avoiding  the 
Winter  altogether.  But  by  the  time  we  left  Gotha  (on  the 
4th  of  December,  1857)  the  season  was  already  inaugurated. 
The  first  snow  whitened  the  Thtiringian  hills  ;  bitter  blasts 
blew  down  upon  us  from  the  Hartz — the  last  chilly  farewell 
of  the  forsaken  North.  Like  a  true  German,  he  was  not 
satisfied  with  one  adieu,  but  must  return  again  and  again  to 
prolong  the  sweet  sorrow  of  parting.  He  accompanied  us 
to  Dresden,  through  the  black  and  lowering  passes  of  the 
Saxon  Switzerland,  over  the  open  plains  of  Bohemia,  and 
only  left  us  for  a  while  in  the  valley  of  the  Danube  to  return 
with  a  more  violent  embrace,  on  the  top  of  the  Semmering 


TRAVELS    IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

Alp.  Finally,  at  the  southern  edge  of  the  J£arst,  or 
table-land  of  Carinthia,  where  his  rugged  name  of  Boreas  is 
Italianized  into  the  Bora,  we  left  him,  and  the  little  olive- 
trees  in  the  gardens  of  Trieste  welcomed  us  to  the  threshold 
of  the  South. 

At  Trieste,  I  determined  to  make  the  most  of  my  south 
ward  voyage,  by  taking  the  Lloyd  steamer  of  the  Dalmatian 
and  Albanian  line,  which  would  enable  me  to  see  something 
of  one  of  the  least  frequented  and  most  interesting  of  the 
Mediterranean  shores.  At  noon,  on  the  12th,  we  were  all 
three  on  board  of  the  Miramar,  Captain  Mazarevitch, 
steaming  out  of  Trieste  under  a  cloudless  sky  and  over 
a  smooth  blue  sea,  albeit  the  south-eastern  wind,  blowing 
over  the  Istrian  mountains,  was  keen  enough.  Our  vessel, 
although  new,  clean,  and  sufficiently  comfortable,  was  pain 
fully  slow,  and  consequently  we  were  not  up  with  Pola,  the 
famous  amphitheatre  whereof  is  plainly  visible  from  the  sea, 
until  long  after  dark.  Our  comfort  during  the  afternoon 
was  our  fine  view  of  the  Julian  Alps,  wheeling  in  a  splendid 
arc  around  the  head  of  the  Adriatic,  from  Trieste  nearly  to 
Venice.  During  the  night  we  crossed  the  mouth  of  the 
Gulf  of  Fiume,  which  you  may  remember  as  the  only  outlet 
of  Croatia,  much  talked  of  during  the  Hungarian  struggle, 
in  connexion  with  the  design  of  uniting  the  Slavic  races 
with  the  Magyars,  and  securing  a  seaport  for  the  new 
nation.  I  cheerfully  testify  that  the  Gulf  of  Fiume  is  as 
rough  a  piece  of  water  as  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  this  is  all 
I  know  about  it,  for  by  sunrise  we  were  at  anchor  in  the 
harbor  of  Zara,  the  capital  of  Dalmatia. 

Most  gentlemen  have  heard  of  this  place,  from  reading 


PICTUKES    1'JLIOM    THE    DALMATIAN    COAST.  3 

on  tlie  labels  of  certain  square,  wicker-encased  bottles — 
"  Maraschino  di  Zara."  Those  who  have  dipped  into  his 
tory  far  enough  will  remember  the  famous  sea-fight  fought 
here  during  the  Fourth  Crusade,  and  the  happy  few  who  know 
Venice  have  not  forgotten  the  famous  picture  in  the  Doge's 
Palace,  wherein  the  son  of  Barbarossa  is  taken  prisoner  by 
the  Venetians,  the  most  flagrant  case  of  lying  which  the 
world  can  produce — no  such  incident  ever  having  occurred. 
Zara,  I  suspect,  looks  pretty  much  as  it  did  in  those  days. 
Its  long,  crenelated  walls  and  square  bastions  had  a  familiar 
aspect  to  me,  from  the  aforesaid  picture.  Of  its  ancient 
history  I  need  only  say  that  it  was  the  capital  of  the  Roman 
province  of  Liburnia,  and  a  place  of  some  note  in  the  days 
of  Augustus. 

The  sun  rose  over  the  snowy  range  of  the  Velebich, 
which  separates  Dalmatia  from  the  Turkish  pashalik  of 
Bosnia.  The  land,  under  the  clearest  illumination,  looked 
intensely  bare  and  stony.  Around  the  harbor  were  olive 
orchards,  with  a  spiry  Italian  cypress  or  two,  and  some 
leafless  fig-trees.  Dalmatian  boatmen  thronged  the  low 
quay,  in  front  of  the  water  gate,  and  hovered  about  the 
steamer,  in  their  red  caps,  loose  shirts  and  wide  trowsers. 
The  picture  was  neither  Italian  nor  Oriental,  yet  with 
something  of  both,  and  there  was  enough  of  Frank  innova 
tion  to  give  it  a  shabby  air.  I  know  nothing  more  slovenly 
and  melancholy  than  the  aspect  of  those  Mediterranean 
ports  which  are  in  a  transition  state — where  the  old  costume, 
habits,  and  ways  of  living  have  been  for  the  most  part 
given  up,  and  those  of  Western  Europe  are  still  new 
enough  to  appear  awkward  and  affected.  The  interior  of 


4  TBAVELS    IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

the  town  produced  the  same  impression ;  there  was  every 
where  the  same  curious  mixture  of  two  heterogeneous  ele 
ments.  Only  the  country  people,  who  had  come  in  with 
their  market-carts  and  were  selling  vegetables  in  the  prin 
cipal  square,  and  some  shaggy  fellows,  whom  I  took  to  be 
Morlaks,  or  Mountain  Slaves,  seemed  to  be  purely  Dalma 
tian,  both  in  blood  and  habits.  Their  Slavic  ancestry  was 
to  be  seen  at  a  glance.  The  deep-set  eye,  the  heavy  brow, 
the  strong  nose,  and  lengthened  oval  of  the  face — the 
expression  of  courage,  calculation,  and  obstinacy — the  erect, 
rather  haughty  form,  and  free,  graceful  carriage,  are  charac 
teristics  which  belong  to  all  the  branches  of  this  widely 
spread  race.  Some  of  the  old  men  were  noble  figures; 
but  the  men,  as  elsewhere  among  the  Slaves,  were  much 
handsomer  than  the  women. 

Zara  is  a  little  place,  and  one  can  easily  see  the  whole  of 
it  in  an  hour.  The  streets  are  very  narrow  and  crooked, 
but  paved  with  heavy  stone  slabs,  and  kept  perfectly  clean. 
At  one  corner  of  the  public  square,  stands  a  Corinthian  pil 
lar  surmounted  by  a  winged  griffin,  which  is  believed  to 
have  belonged  to  a  temple  of  the  age  of  Augustus.  The 
Cathedral,  a  low  building  of  marble,  Byzantine  in  style, 
was  founded  by  old  Dandolo,  who  wintered  here  in  1202,  on 
his  way  to  take  Constantinople.  We  went  into  a  cafe  to 
taste  Maraschino  on  its  native  soil,  but  the  specimen  proved 
that  the  flavor  of  the  liqueur  is  improved  by  banishment. 
It  is  made  from  the  berries  of  a  variety  of  wild  cherry, 
called  the  marasca,  whence  the  name. 

We  left  at  noon,  and  running  along  a  coast  which 
appeared  barren,  although  every  valley  which  opened  to 


PICTURES   FKOM   THE   DALMATIAN   COAST.  5 

the  sea  was  silver-gray  with  olive  orchards,  reached  Sebe- 
nico  a  little  before  sunset.  This  is  a  wonderfully  pictures 
que  place,  built  along  the  side  of  a  hill  which  rises 
steeply  from  the  water,  and  dominated  by  three  massive 
Venetian  fortresses,  behind  which  towers  a  bald,  barren 
mountain.  Our  steamer  was  hauled  in  beside  a  mole  which 
protects  the  little  harbor,  and  we  stepped  ashore  to  see  the 
place  before  dark.  Crowds  of  grizzly,  dirty  men,  dressed 
in  wide  trowsers  and  shaggy  sheepskin  jackets,  stared  at  us 
with  curiosity.  A  few  of  them  begged  in  unintelligible 
Illyrian  or  bad  Italian.  The  women,  some  of  whom  were 
quite  pretty,  wore  a  very  picturesque  costume,  consisting 
of  a  crimson  boddice,  open  to  the  waist  in  front,  disclosing 
a  snowy  linen  chemise,  in  which  the  full  breast  was  enve 
loped,  a  petticoat  of  red  or  dark  blue,  and  a  gay  handker 
chief  twisted  through  the  long  braids  of  their  thick  black 
hair. 

The  streets  were  so  very  narrow,  steep,  and  dark,  that 
we  hesitated  at  first  about  plunging  into  such  a  suspicious 
labyrinth,  but  at  last  hit  upon  a  lane  which  led  us  to  the 
public  square  before  the  Cathedral,  the  only  level  piece  of 
ground  in  the  city.  It  is  an  artificial  terrace,  about  half 
way  up  the  hill,  and  may  be  a  hundred  feet  square.  On 
one  side  is  the  Cathedral,  a  very  quaint,  squat  old  building 
of  white  marble,  in  a  bastard  Byzantine  style  ;  on  the  other 
a  building  resting  on  an  arched  corridor,  which  reminds 
you  of  Venice.  Broad  slabs  of  slippery  marble  paved  the 
court,  which  we  found  utterly  silent  and  deserted.  As  the 
yellow  lustre  of  sunset  struck  upon  the  dome  and  the  front 
of  the  fortress  which  frowned  high  over  our  heads,  and  a 


6  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

glimpse  of  purple  sea  glimmered  afar  through  the  gap  by 
which  we  had  ascended,  I  felt  as  if  I  had  discovered  some 
lost,  forgotten  city  of  the  past,  over  which  no  wind  of  ruin 
had  as  yet  blown.  All  was  quaint  and  solemn,  mellowed 
by  the  touch  of  age :  had  it  been  new,  it  would  have  been 
merely  grotesque. 

We  mounted  to  the  fort,  whence  there  was  a  wide  view 
of  the  coast,  the  sea,  and  the  Dalmatian  Islands.  The  fort 
resses  appeared  to  be  no  longer  kept  up  as  defences,  for 
which,  indeed,  they  are  now  worthless.  Sebenico  is  a  poor 
place,  and  as  proud  as  it  is  poor,  if  one  may  rely  upon  the 
statements  made  by  a  thriving  brewer,  who  keeps  a  beer 
house  on  the  quay.  "  There  is  no  such  thing  as  enterprise 
here,"  said  he  ;  "  the  country  is  capable  of  producing  much 
more  than  it  does,  if  the  people  were  not  so  lazy.  Here, 
for  instance,  are  half-a-dozen  old  Venetian  families,  who 
consider  themselves  too  nobly  born  to  do  anything,  and 
who  are  gradually  starving  in  their  pride.  After  having 
sold  everything  except  the  family  mansion,  they  then  sell 
their  plate  piece  by  piece.  What  they  will  do  when  that  is 
gone,  I  cannot  tell.  I  am  considered  rich,  because  I  earn 
more  than  I  spend,  but  am  despised  by  these  gentry 
because  I  have  a  business.  My  father  was  once  applied  to 
by  one  of  them,  who  wished  to  borrow  money.  He  went 
to  the  house,  but  was  refused  admittance  by  the  noble  lady, 
who  said :  *  Stay  in  the  street  until  my  lord  comes  out.' 
Well,  when  my  lord  came,  my  father  said  to  him:  'If  my 
person  is  not  worthy  to  enter  your  house,  my  money  is  not 
worthy  to  touch  your  fingers ' — and  so  left  him.  These  peo 
ple  would  like  to  restore  the  Venetian  rule,  because  they 


PICTURES   FROM   THE    DALMATIAN    COAST.  7 

held  offices  then,  and  were  somebodies  ;  but  if  Ave  were  well 
rid  of  them,  and  could  fill  their  places  with  Germans,  not 
afraid  to  work,  it  would  be  better  for  Dalmatia."  I  have 
no  doubt  there  is  much  truth  in  the  brewer's  remarks. 
Dalmatia  seems  to  me  as  well  adapted  for  the  production  of 
wine,  oil,  and  silk,  as  any  part  of  Southern  Europe.  Its  pre 
sent  yield  of  wine,  which  is  of  excellent  quality,  amounts  to 
1,200,000  barrels  annually.  About  60,000  barrels  of  oil  are 
produced,  but  as  the  number  of  olive  trees  in  the  province 
amounts  to  near  three  millions,  and  from  two-and-a-half  to 
five  pounds  of  olives  (according  to  the  season)  yield  one 
pound  of  oil,  there  must  be  a  great  waste  of  raw  material 
in  the  preparation  of  the  article.  "Wheat  and  barley  also 
thrive  remarkably  well.  The  value  of  the  staples  exported 
from  the  province  amounts  to  about  $2,000,000  yearly, 
which,  for  a  population  of  400,000,  gives  but  $5  a  head  as 
the  amount  of  their  industry  beyond  what  is  required  for 
their  maintenance. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  started  again,  still  favored 
with  cloudless  skies  and  sleeping  seas.  The  tops  of  the 
shore  hills  rose  bold  and  yellow  above  the  olive  terraces 
which  belted  their  bases,  and  far  inland  rose  pale-purple 
mountain  chains,  tipped  with  snow — the  dividing  ridge 
between  Dalmatia  and  Bosnia.  Towards  noon,  rounding 
a  point  of  the  coast  and  turning  almost  due  eastward,  the 
spires  of  Spalato  (not  Spalatro,  as  it  is  generally  spelled), 
famous  for  its  memories  of  Diocletian,  twinkled  before  us. 
It  lies  on  a  little  cove,  at  the  head  of  a  wide  bay,  land 
locked  by  the  islands  of  the  Dalmatian  Archipelago,  and  at 
the  end  of  a  gently  sloping  plain,  three  or  four  miles  long. 


8  TRAVELS   IN    GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

The  mountains  here  fall  back,  and  form  a  graceful  amphi 
theatre,  at  the  head  of  which  stood  the  old  Roman  city  of 
Salona.  Spalato  is  founded  on  the  ruins  of  Diocletian's 
palace,  the  walls  of  which  still  contain  the  whole  of  the 
mediaeval  city.  Every  one  has  heard  of  Diocletian  and  his 
Dalmatian  cabbages,  but  few  know  how  much  of  his  impe 
rial  hermitage  has  been  spared  by  time.  Let  us  go  ashore 
and  see. 


CHAPTER    II. 

FURTHER      FROM      DALMATIA. 

SPALATO  ought  properly  to  be  called  Diocleziano.  In  the 
front  of  the  long  row  of  houses  facing  the  sea,  we  counted 
twenty-eight  arches  of  the  Emperor's  palace,  and  we  recog 
nised,  in  the  hexagonal  structure  behind  the  tall  Venetian 
belfrey,  the  temple  of  Jupiter  which  stood  within  its  walls. 
Landing  in  the  midst  of  a  wild,  dirty,  but  very  picturesque 
crowd  of  Dalmatians  and  Morlaks,  we  discovered  an  arched 
entrance  into  the  mass  of  houses,  in  the  centre  of  the 
ancient  sea-front.  A  vaulted  passage,  ascending  by  irregu 
lar  steps,  led  us  into  the  midst  of  irregular  ruins,  among 
which  the  modern  inhabitants  are  nested  like  bats,  blacken 
ing  with  their  fires  and  defiling  with  their  filth  the  Roman 
arches  and  walls.  A  circular  hall,  the  vaulted  roof  of  which 
had  fallen  in,  was  evidently  the  vestibule  to  the  architec 
tural  splendors  of  the  inner  court. 

Beyond  this,  however,  the  picture  suddenly  changed. 
A  portico,  supported  by  four  pillars — monoliths  of  red 
granite,  with  Corinthian  capitals  of  white  marble — and  with 

1* 


10  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

a  pediment  sculptured  in  the  most  florid  style,  conducted 
us  to  the  court  of  the  palace,  paved  with  marble,  and  sur 
rounded  by  a  colonnade  of  red  granite,  raised  upon  a  lofty 
base.  On  the  right  hand,  the  massive  portico  of  the 
temple  of  Jupiter  now  serves  as  the  foundation  of  the  lofty 
campanile,  behind  which  stands  the  temple  itself,  almost 
entire  in  all  its  parts.  On  the  left,  a  short  distance  behind 
the  colonnade,  is  a  smaller  building  of  marble,  with  a  very 
rich  Corinthian  cornice,  which  is  generally  supposed  to 
have  been  a  temple  of  ^Esculapius,  although  some  antiqua 
ries  regard  it  as  the  mausoleum  of  Diocletian.  In  front  of 
the  temple  of  Jupiter  sits  an  Egyptian  sphynx  of  black 
porphyry,  with  an  inscription  of  the  time  of  Amunoph 
III. — about  fifteen  centuries  before  Christ.  The  charm  of 
the  court  is  greatly  enhanced  by  the  suddenness  with  which 
it  comes  upon  you,  and  by  contrast  with  the  tall,  plain 
masses  of  the  old  Venetian  houses  which  inclose  it.  The 
fact  that  it  served  as  a  public  square  to  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Spalato  of  the  middle  ages,  which  was  built  entirely 
within  the  palace-walls,  has  no  doubt  preserved  it  from  ruin. 
The  square  is  still  called  "  Piazza  del  Tempio." 

We  went  into  the  temple,  now  the  cathedral.  The 
tawdry  appurtenances  of  its  present  religion  do  not  at  all 
harmonize  with  the  simple  severity  of  the  old.  It  is  rather 
gloomy,  the  ancient  vaulted  dome  having  no  aperture  to 
admit  light,  like  that  of  the  Roman  Pantheon.  There  is 
an  external  colonnade,  which  is  gradually  falling  into  ruin 
through  neglect,  and  its  condition  shows  that  there  is  need 
of  an  appeal  similar  to  that  upon  the  outside  of  a  church 
in  Florence — "If  you  bear  the  name  of  Christians,  oh 


FU11TIIER   FKOM   DALMATIA.  11 

respect  the  temple  of  the  Lord  1"  Two  large  sarcophagi 
were  lying  between  the  columns.  One  of  them  had  a 
cracked  lid,  a  piece  of  which  Braisted  shoved  aside,  and 
diving  into  the  interior,  brought  out  a  large  thigh-bone,  the 
owner  of  which  must  have  been  over  six  feet  in  height. 
There  is  an  interior  gallery,  under  the  dome,  which  rests 
upon  columns  of  porphyry  and  grey  granite.  This  gallery 
is  adorned  with  a  frieze  representing  a  hunt,  whence  some 
suppose  the  temple  to  have  been  erected  to  Diana  instead 
of  Jupiter.  It  is  well  known,  however,  that  hunting  sub-, 
jects  were  used  in  the  temples  of  various  gods,  at  a  later 
period.  The  execution  is  so  very  clumsy,  that  one  can 
have  no  very  exalted  opinion  of  Diocletian's  taste.  I  can 
only  compare  it  to  those  monstrosities  which  were  perpe 
trated  under  the  name  of  sculpture,  during  the  Greek 
Empire.  In  front  of  the  temple  of  ^Esculapius  lies  a  sarco 
phagus,  which  is  supposed  to  be  that  of  Diocletian  himself, 
and  with  more  probability  than  usually  belongs  to  such 
conjectures. 

Braisted  and  I  mounted  to  the  summit  of  the  campanile, 
and  sat  down  to  contemplate  the  landscape.  It  was  a  warm, 
still,  cloudless  day,  and  the  rich  plain  behind,  sloping  back 
to  the  site  of  the  ancient  Salona,  the  blue  harbor,  inclosed 
by  the  purple  Dalmatian  islands,  and  the  bald,  lilac-tinted 
mountains,  rising  along  the  Bosnian  frontier,  formed  so 
large,  cheerful,  and  harmonious  a  picture,  that  we  at  once 
understood  Diocletian's  choice,  and  gave  him  full  credit  for 
it.  "He  was  the  only  Roman  Emperor  who  had  good 
common  sense,"  said  B.,  with  a  positiveness  from  which 
there  was  no  appeal.  In  the  gardens  around  JSpalato  we 


12  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

noticed  some  cabbages,  tlie  descendants,  probably,  of  those 
which  Diocletian  so  ostentatiously  shook  under  the  nose  of 
Maximinian.  But  in  spite  of  his  cabbages  Diocletian  was 
far  from  being  a  Diogenes  in  the  purple.  I  looked  down  on 
the  compact  little  town,  and  could  easily  trace  the  line  of 
his  palace-wall — an  irregular  parallelogram,  500  feet  on  the 
shortest  side,  and  670  on  the  longest.  It  was  originally 
adorned  with  eighteen  towers,  and  pierced  with  four  gates, 
the  main  entrance,  the  Porta  Aurea  (golden  gate),  being 
on  the  side  towards  Salona.  This  has  been  recently  exca 
vated,  and,  except  that  its  statues  have  fallen  from  their 
niches,  is  very  well  preserved.  The  other  gates  were 
named  Silver,  Bronze,  and  Iron.  Within  this  space  the 
Emperor  had  his  residence  and  that  of  a  large  retinue, 
including  his  women,  guards,  and  slaves,  besides  two  tem 
ples,  a  theatre,  bath,  and  halls  for  festivities.  The  Byzantine 
writer,  Porphyrogenitus,  who  saw  the  palace  in  its  perfect 
state,  says :  "  No  description  can  convey  any  idea  of  its 
magnificence."  Who  would  not  be  willing  to  raise  cab 
bages  in  this  style  ?  For  my  part,  I  should  not  object  to 
a  dish  of  such  imperial  sour-krout. 

We  left  Spalato  in  the  afternoon,  and  made  for  the  port 
of  Milne,  on  the  island  of  Brazza,  whose  olive-streaked  hills 
shimmered  faintly  in  the  west.  This  island  is  the  largest  in 
the  Dalmatian  Archipelago,  producing  annually  80,000 
barrels  of  wine,  and  10,000  of  oil.  It  was  celebrated  by 
Pliny  for  its  fine  goats,  a  distinction  which  it  still  preserves. 
Brazza,  I  am  informed,  sent  quite  a  number  of  emigrants  to 
California.  It  is  curious  to  observe  how  very  closely  the 
threads  of  commercial  and  social  intercourse  are  knitted, 


FURTHER  FROM  DALMATIA.  13 

all  over  the  world.  All  civilized  nations  are  rapidly  becom 
ing  limbs  of  one  vast  body,  in  which  any  nerve  that  is 
touched  in  one  is  more  or  less  felt  by  all.  "  Our  business 
is  very  dull  in  Zara,"  said  a  Dalmatian  to  me,  "  on  account 
of  the  crisis  in  America."  "  But  the  worst  of  the  crisis 
there  is  already  over,''  I  said,  "as  well  as  in  England." 
"  Then  we  may  hope  that  ours  will  not  last  long,''  said  he. 
In  Zante,  and  other  Ionian  islands,  the  people  were  greatly 
pinched,  during  the  crisis  of  1857,  because  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race  could  not  afford  so  many  plum-puddings,  and  their 
currants  remained  unsold. 

Rounding  the  western  end  of  Brazza,  a  deep  channel, 
terminating  in  a  circular  harbor,  as  regular  as  if  cut  by  art, 
and  sunk  in  the  heart  of  the  hills,  opened  unexpectedly  on 
our  right.  This  was  Milne,  the  port  of  the  island,  a  silent, 
solitary,  tranquil  place,  which  even  our  arrival  did  not 
appear  to  excite  in  the  least.  We  halted  here  but  a  short 
time,  and  then  sped  away  to  Lesina,  where  Titian  is  said  to 
have  been  banished  for  some  years,  through  the  strait 
where,  in  1811,  four  English  vessels  defeated  the  French 
fleet  of  eleven,  touched  during  the  night  at  Curzola,  and 
by  the  next  sunrise  were  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Ragusa. 
This  is,  historically,  the  most  interesting  point  on  the  Dal 
matian  coast.  A  few  scattering  Greeks  and  Illyrians  founded 
here,  in  the  year  636,  a  little  Republic — not  bigger  than 
the  estate  of  many  an  English  nobleman — which  survived 
the  fall  of  empires,  and  the  political  storms  of  nearly  twelve 
hundred  years.  It  was  finally  wiped  out  in  January,  1808, 
by  a  decree  of  Napoleon,  who  bestowed  upon  Marshal 
Marmont,  the  commander  of  the  French  troops  in  Dal- 


14  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

matia,  the  title  of  Duke  of  Ragusa.  Tributary  both  to 
Venice  and  the  Ottoman  Empire,  it  still  preserved  its  muni 
cipal  independence ;  and,  besides  its  commerce,  which  at 
one  time  employed  360  vessels  and  4,500  sailors,  found  lei 
sure  to  cultivate  literature  and  the  sciences.  Coeur  de  Lion, 
returning  from  Palestine,  was  entertained  as  a  guest  by  the 
Senate,  after  his  shipwreck  on  the  neighboring  island  of 
Lacroma,  where  he  built  a  church  to  commemorate  his 
escape.  The  Republic  also  sheltered  King  Sigismund  of 
Hungary,  after  his  defeat  by  Sultan  Bajazet,  and  three 
times  afforded  succor  to  George  Castriot,  or  Scanderbeg, 
the  last  gallant  chieftain  of  the  Grecian  Empire.  Ragusa,  in 
short,  has  stood  unharmed,  like  a  bit  of  moss  in  the  forest, 
while  every  tree  has  been  blasted  or  uprooted,  and  many  a 
chance  sunbeam  of  history  has  struck  athwart  its  secluded 
life.  Napoleon,  the  Destroyer  and  Builder,  set  his  foot 
upon  it  and  crushed  it  at  last. 

The  captain  gave  us  two  hours  for  a  ramble  on  the  shore, 
and  we  set  out  for  Old  Ragusa,  which  is  between  two  and 
three  miles  distant.  The  present  port  is  a  landlocked 
basin,  shut  in  by  sweeping  hills,  which  are  feathered  to 
their  summits  with  olive  groves,  while  the  gardens  below 
sparkle  with  their  boskage  of  orange  and  lemon  trees.  The 
hills  are  dotted  with  country  houses,  many  of  them  stately 
structures  of  the  republican  time,  but  all  more  or  less  dilapi 
dated.  Marks  of  the  French  and  subsequent  Russian 
invasion  are  seen  on  all  sides.  Roofless  houses,  neglected 
gardens,  and  terraced  fields  lying  fallow,  gave  a  melancholy 
air  of  decay  to  the  landscape.  Climbing  a  long  hill  from 
the  harbor,  we  crossed  the  comb  of  a  promontory,  and 


FURTHER  FROM  DALMATIA.  15 

saw  the  sea  before  us,  while  down  in  a  hollow  of  the  coast, 
on  our  left,  swam  in  the  blue  morning  vapors  the  spires  and 
fortresses  of  Old  Ragusa.  Far  above  it,  on  the  summit  of 
the  overlooking  mountains,  shone  the  white  walls  of  another 
fort,  the  road  to  which  ascended  th"e  steep  slope  in  fourteen 
zigzags.  It  was  a  warm  picture,  full  of  strong  color,  and 
sharp,  decided  outline.  Clumps  of  aloe  clung  to  the  rocks 
below ;  oranges  hung  heavy  over  the  garden  walls  above, 
and  in  a  sunny  spot  some  young  palms  were  growing. 
We  only  succeeded  in  reaching  the  outskirts  of  Old  Ragusa, 
whence  we  overlooked  the  falling  city,  upon  whose  main 
street,  paved  with  slippery  marble,  no  horse  is  yet  allowed 
to  set  his  foot. 

I  did  not  find  the  Ragusan  costumes — at  least  those 
which  I  saw — quite  so  picturesque  as  those  of  the  other 
Dalmatian  ports.  The  race,  however,  is  mainly  the  same. 
Indeed,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  of  all  the  inhabitants 
of  Dalmatia,  fifteen  out  of  sixteen  are  of  Slavic  blood. 
They  are  a  medium-sized  people,  but  tough,  hardy,  and  of 
considerable  muscular  strength.  Their  mode  of  life  is  quite 
primitive.  Every  family  has  its  patriarchal  head,  and  the 
sons  bring  their  wives  home  to  the  paternal  hut,  until  the 
natural  increase  crowds  them  out  of  its  narrow  bounds. 
The  mother  takes  her  unweaned  infant  to  the  field  with 
her,  and  lays  it  down  on  a  soft  stone  to  sleep.  They  still 
cultivate  witches,  and  believe  in  demons  and  magical  spells. 
Among  the  Morlaks,  the  bridegroom,  until  very  recently, 
was  obliged  to  catch  his  bride  in  a  public  race,  like  Hypo- 
litus,  or  the  Tartar  bachelors.  Blood  revenge,  as  among 
the  Corsicans,  exists  in  spite  of  the  law,  and  the  wandering 


16  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

bard,  singing  the  exploits  of  his  heroic  ancestors,  goes  from 
village  to  village,  as  in  the  days  of  Homer. 

Continuing  our  voyage  southward  along  the  coast,  we 
reached  in  the  afternoon  the  Bocca  di  Cattaro,  the  entrance 
to  one  of  the  wildest  and  most  wonderful  harbors  in  the 
world.  Austria  has  held  on  with  the  tenacity  of  a  terrier 
to  all  the  Venetian  settlements  along  the  Adriatic  upon 
which  she  could  lay  hands.  Look  at  the  map,  and  you  will 
see  how,  from  Zara  to  Budua,  she  has  seized  a  strip  of 
coast,  between  two  and  three  hundred  miles  in  length, 
while  its  breadth  wavers  between  five  and  thirty  miles. 
Bosnia,  the  Herzegowina,  and  Montenegro  have  now  no 
communication  with  the  sea,  except  through  Austrian  ports. 
In  two  places  this  strip  is  interrupted  by  narrow  wedges 
of  the  Turkish  territory,  which  come  down  to  the  sea — of 
course  at  points  where  no  seaport  can  be  created.  Aus 
tria  has  taken  good  care  of  that.  We  swept  close  under  a 
beetling  cliff  of  mellow-tinted  rock,  up  which  rose,  bastion 
over  bastion,  the  heavy  white  walls  of  a  fortress.  The 
mouth  of  the  bay  is  somewhat  less  than  a  mile  in  breadth, 
with  an  island,  also  fortified,  lying  athwart  it.  We 
entered  a  deep,  land-locked  sheet  of  water,  shut  in  by 
mountains.  In  the  south-east  rose  a  lofty  peak  of  the 
Montenegrin  Alps,  its  summit  glittering  with  snow. 
"  Where  do  you  suppose  Cattaro  lies  ?"  asked  the  captain. 
"Somewhere  in  this  bay,"  I  answered.  "No,''  said  he, 
"  it  is  just  under  yon  snowy  peak."  "  But  how  are 
we  to  get  there  ?"  "  Wait,  and  you  will  see !"  was  the 
answer. 

We  touched  at  Castelnuovo,  which  was  in  the  sixteenth 


FURTHER  FROM  DALMATIA.  17 

century  the  capital  of  the  Herzegowina.  It  was  taken  by 
the  Spaniards,  the  allies  of  Admiral  Doria,  who,  after 
building  the  massive  fortress  which  bears  their  name  to 
this  day,  were  in  turn  driven  out  by  Khaireddin  Barba- 
rossa,  the  Turkish  Admiral.  Passing  the  warm,  amphi- 
theatric  hills,  rich  with  groves  of  olive,  chestnut,  and  syca 
more,  we  made  for  the  southern  end  of  the  bay,  which  all 
at  once  opened  laterally  on  the  left,  disclosing  a  new  chan 
nel,  ^at  the  head  of  which  lay  the  little  town  of  Perasto. 
Mountains,  grey,  naked,  and  impassably  steep,  hung  over 
it.  As  we  approached,  a  church  and  monastery,  which 
seemed  to  float  upon  the  water,  rose  to  view.  They  were 
built  upon  rocks  in  the  bay — quaint,  curious  structures, 
with  bulging  green  domes  upon  their  towe/s.  After  pass 
ing  Perasto,  where  the  captain  joyfully  pointed  out  his 
house  (a  white  handkerchief  was  waving  from  the  window), 
the  bay  curved  eastward  and  then  southward,  actually 
cleaving  the  mountain  range  to  the  very  foot  of  the  central 
peak  of  snows.  On  all  sides  the  bare  steeps  arose  almost 
precipitously  from  the  water  to  the  height  of  3,000  feet. 
We  were  on  a  mountain  lake ;  the  fiercest  storms  of  the 
Adriatic  could  not  disturb  the  serenity  of  these  waters. 
They  are  barricaded  against  any  wind  that  blows.  At  the 
extremity  of  the  lake,  under  the  steepest  cliffs,  lay  Cattaro, 
with  its  sharp  angled  walls  of  defence  climbing  the  moun 
tain  to  a  height  of  nearly  a  thousand  feet  above  it.  The 
sun  had  long  since  set  on  the  town,  although  the  mountains 
burned  with  a  tawny  lustre  all  along  the  eastern  shore. 
We  steamed  up  and  cast  anchor  in  front  of  the  sea-wall. 
We  landed  at  once,  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the 


18  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

vanishing  daylight.  A  wild  design  for  a  moment  carne 
into  my  head — to  take  horses  and  a  guard,  ride  up  the 
mountain  and  over  to  Cettigne,  the  capital  of  Montenegro, 
and  back  again  by  sunrise — but  unfortunately  there  was  no 
moon,  and  I  should  have  had  the  danger  and  the  fatigue  for 
nothing.  Cattaro  is  a  fortress,  and  the  town,  squeezed 
within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  walls,  has  the  deepest  and 
darkest  streets.  We  discovered  nothing  of  note  in  the 
course  of  our  ramble.  The  place,  I  suspect,  is  much  as  it 
was  when  Venice  defended  and  Khaireddin  besieged  it. 
We  stood  a  moment  in  the  public  square  to  see  the  over 
hanging  mountains  burning  with  vermillion  and  orange  in 
the  last  splendor  of  sunset,  and  then  threaded  the  town  to 
the  further  gate,  where  a  powerful  spring  of  the  purest 
beryl-colored  mountain  water  gushes  out  from  under  the 
walls. 

A  native  Cattarese,  who  spoke  some  Italian,  hung  on  to 
our  skirts,  in  order  to  get  a  little  money  as  a  guide.  "  Find 
me  some  natives  of  Montenegro !"  I  said  to  him.  "  Oh, 
they  wear  the  same  dress  as  the  Dalmatians,"  said  he,  "  but 
you  can  tell  them  by  the  cross  on  their  caps."  Soon  after 
ward  we  encountered  an  old  man  and  his  son,  both  of  whom 
had  a  gilded  Greek  cross  on  the  front  of  the  red  fez  which 
they  wore.  "  Here  are  two !"  exclaimed  the  guide.  He 
then  stopped  them,  and  without  more  ado,  pulled  off 
the  old  man's  fez,  showed  us  the  cross,  and  opened  the  folds 
of  the  cap,  where  a  second  cross  and  a  number  of  zwan- 
zigers  were  hidden.  "Here  they  keep  their  money,"  he 
explained.  The  old  fellow  took  the  whole  proceeding  very 
good-humoredly,  and  was  delighted  when  I  said  to  him 


FURTHER  FROM  DALMATIA.  19 

"  Sbogo  /"  (the  Illyrian  for  "  good-bye !")  at  parting.  Soon 
afterwards  we  met  some  pandours  or  irregular  soldiers,  of 
the  Vladika  of  Montenegro.  They  wore  a  spread-eagle  on 
their  caps,  in  addition  to  the  cross.  Our  guide  stopped 
them,  and  informed  them  (as  I  guessed)  that  we  wanted 
to  look  at  them.  A  proud  straightening  of  the  body,  a 
haughty  toss  of  the  head,  and  a  glance  of  mingled  dignity 
and  defiance  was  the  only  answer,  as  they  held  their  way. 
I  was  delighted  with  this  natural  exhibition  of  their  self- 
esteem,  though  it  had  been  called  forth  in  so  offensive  a 
way. 

I  heard  very  contradictory  accounts  respecting  the  pre 
sent  Vladika  (Prince)  of  Montenegro.  Our  captain  spoke 
of  him  as  a  highly-accomplished  man,  with  a  marked  taste 
for  literature,  and  rather  sneered  at  his  wife,  the  daughter 
of  a  Trieste  merchant,  who  pinched  himself  to  give  her  a 
dowry  of  a  million  of  zwanzigers  (about  $168,000)  and 
thereby  secure  the  hand  of  Prince  Danilo.  On  the  other 
hand,  an  English  officer  who  visited  Cettigne,  informed  me 
that  the  Vladika  is  a  rough,  boorish,  and  stupid  fellow,  and 
that  his  wife  is  handsome,  accomplished,  and  fascinating.  I 
should  judge  the  latter  report  to  be  the  correct  one,  as  we 
are  beginning  to  hear  the  most  arbitrary  and  brutal  acts 
charged  against  the  Vladika.  His  predecessor  was  a 
Bishop,  which  did  not  prevent  him  from  being  a  capital 
shot  and  a  good  horseman.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  this  little 
robber  State  will  not  be  very  long-lived,  and  that  it  will 
finally  fall  into  the  claws  of  Austria.  But  she  will  neither 
get  it  nor  hold  it  without  fighting. 

We  lay  all  night  at  Cattaro.     So  completely  is  the  place 


20  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

inclosed  that  the  climate  is  different  from  that  of  Castel- 
nuovo.  The  night  was  very  cold,  and  as  we  steamed  oif  in 
the  morning  we  found  the  bay  covered  with  a  light  sheet 
of  ice  from  shore  to  shore.  Outside,  the  air  was  mild  and 
delightful.  A  short  distance  beyond  the  Bocca  di  Cattaro, 
we  passed  Budua,  another  Venetian  colony,  and  the  last 
Austrian  port.  Early  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Antivari, 
in  Albania,  the  seaport  of  the  large  city  of  Scutari,  which 
is  nearly  a  day's  journey  in  the  interior.  The  coast  grew 
wilder  and  bolder  ;  huge,  tawny  mountains  soared  from  the 
sea  to  the  clouds  which  rested  on  their  snow-streaked  sum 
mits,  and  the  signs  of  habitation  became  less  and  less 
frequent.  The  next  morning  we  were  at  Durazzo,  a  singu 
larly  picturesque  town  on  a  hillside  defended  by  massive 
Venetian  walls,  above  which  shoots  the  slender  shaft  of  a 
minaret.  Thence  we  ran  along  under  the  Acroceraunian 
mountains,  whose  topmost  peak,  Mount  Tschika,  a  shining 
wedge  of  snow,  serves  as  a  landmark  for  all  this  part  of  the 
Albanian  coast.  At  Avlona,  we  saw  the  huge  fortress 
built  by  Ali  Pasha,  the  Turkish  city  in  the  rear,  with  its 
ten  minarets,  and  the  old  Greek  town  and  acropolis  crown 
ing  the  mountain  ridge  above.  Acroceraunia  is  a  wild  and 
gloomily  grand  region,  full  of  glorious  subjects  for  the  land 
scape  painter. 

Our  deck  now  began  to  be  covered  with  picturesque 
forms — Turkish  soldiers,  Albanians,  with  white  kirtles  and 
whole  arsenals  in  their  belts,  Greek  and  Moslem  merchants. 
Among  them  I  noticed  a  Bosnian,  whose  white  turban  and 
green  jacket  denoted  particular  holiness.  Accosting  him 
in  Arabic,  which  he  spoke  imperfectly,  I  found  he  was  a 


FURTHER   FKOM   DALMATIA.  21 

hadji,  having  made  the  grand  pilgrimage  to  all  the  holy 
places.  We  quite  agreed  upon  the  subject  of  Damascus, 
the  mere  mention  of  which  brought  the  water  into  his 
mouth.  He  prayed  with  praiseworthy  regularity,  at  the 
stated  times,  generally  finding  the  direction  of  Mecca 
within  four  points.  One  evening,  however,  while  we  were 
at  anchor,  the  ship  drifted  around  with  the  tide,  and  the 
hadji,  not  noticing  this,  commenced  praying  with  his  face 
towards  Rome.  I  at  once  perceived  this  scandalous  mistake, 
and  interrupted  the  devotions  of  the  holy  man,  to  set  him 
right.  "  In  the  name  of  God  !"  he  exclaimed ;  "  but  you 
are  right.  This  comes  of  trusting  the  Frank  vessels.'' 


CHAPTER    III. 

FIRST     DAYS     IN     GEEECE. 

OUR  steamer  lay  four  days  at  Corfu,  during  which  time 
we  took  up  our  quarters  in  a  hotel  on  shore.  The  days 
were  warm  and  sunny,  and  we  had  no  need  of  fire  except 
in  the  evenings.  Corfu  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  of  the 
Mediterranean  islands.  Particularly  agreeable  to  me  was 
the  English  order,  cleanliness,  and  security  which  prevail 
here,  as  everywhere  else  under  the  shadow  of  the  British 
flag.  Many  of  the  lonians  are  dissatisfied  with  the  English 
protectorate,  and  would  willingly  be  incorporated  into  the 
Hellenic  Kingdom.  I  venture  to  say  that,  if  this  were  done, 
five  years  would  not  elapse  before  the  islands  would  be  as 
insecure,  the  internal  improvements  as  much  neglected, 
and  the  Government  as  corrupt,  as  that  of  Greece  itself. 
There  are  two  things  without  which  the  English  cannot 
exjst — civil  order  and  good  roads ;  and  they  are  just  the 
things  which  Greece  most  wants. 

During  a  short  excursion  into  the  interior  of  the  islamd, 
I  was  struck  by  the  indolence  and  lack  of  enterprise  of  the 


FIKST   DAYS   IN   GREECE.  23 

inhabitants.  We  drove  for  miles  through  groves  of  splen 
did  olive-trees,  many  of  them  upwards  of  five  hundred  years 
old,  and  bending  under  their  weight  of  ungathered  fruit. 
Thousands  of  barrels  of  oil  were  slowly  wasting,  for  want 
of  a  little  industry.  I  was  told,  to  be  sure,  that  the  Alba 
nians  had  been  sent  for  to  assist  in  gathering  in  the  crop, 
and  would  come  over  as  soon  as  their  own  work  was  com 
pleted;  the  Corfiotes  appeared  to  be  in  the  meantime 
resting  on  the^r  oars.  The  currant  crop  had  been  much 
damaged  by  violent  rains,  and  the  people,  therefore,  com 
plained  of  hard  times ;  but  there  always  will  be  hard  times 
where  thrift  and  forethought  are'so  scarce.  Col.  Talbot, 
the  Resident  for  Cephalonia,  informed  me  that  the  natives 
of  that  island,  on  the  contrary,  are  very  industrious  and 
economical. 

We  left  Corfu  at  midnight,  and  by  sunrise  the  next 
morning  reached  Prevesa,  situated  just  inside  the  mouth 
of  the  Ambracian  Gulf,  and  opposite  to  the  low  point  on 
which  stood  Actium.  Through  the  narrow  strait  by  which 
we  had  entered,  fled  Cleopatra  in  her  gilded  galley,  fol 
lowed,  ere  long,  by  the  ruined  Antony.  The  ruins  of 
Nicopolis  (the  City  of  Victory),  which  Caesar  built  to  com 
memorate  the  battle,  are  scattered  over  the  isthmus 
between  the  sea  and  the  gulf,  about  three  miles  north  of 
Prevesa.  Here  we  took  on  board  His  Excellency  Abd-er- 
Rakhman  Bey,  military  Governor  of  Candia,  and  his  suite, 
consisting  of  an  ugly  adjutant,  a  stupid  secretary,  and  two 
wicked-looking  pipe-bearers.  The  latter  encamped  on  the 
quarter-deck,  but  the  Bey  took  a  first-cabin  passage.  As 
he  spoke  no  language  but  Turkish,  our  communication  was 


24  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

rather  limited,  although  he  evinced  a  strong  desire  to  be 
social  with  us.  His  supply  of  oranges  was  distributed 
without  stint,  and  one  day  at  dinner  he  surprised  the  lady- 
passenger  by  sending  for  a  hard-boiled  egg,  which  he  care 
fully  shelled,  stuck  upon  the  end  of  his  knife,  and  handed 
across  the  table  to  her.  He  was  particularly  careful  not  to 
touch  pork,  but  could  not  withstand  the  seductions  of  wine, 
which  he  drank  in  great  quantities.  In  proportion  as  he 
drank,  he  breathed  asthmatically,  and  became  confidential. 
At  such  times,  he  would  complain  of  the  enormous  expense 
of  his  household,  occasioned  by  his  having  three  wives. 
One  he  had  married  because  he  loved  her,  another  because 
she  wanted  to  marry  him,  and  the  third  he  had  bought  at 
Trebizond  for  twenty  thousand  piastres.  He  was  obliged 
to  keep  thirty  servants,  ten  for  each  wife,  and  the  three 
dames,  he  gave  us  to  understand,  were  not  particularly 
harmonious  in  their  mutual  relations.  Thereupon  the  Bey 
sighed,  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  wished  he  was  a  Frank. 

We  touched  at  Santa  Maura,  the  capital  of  Leucadia. 
A  single  palm-tree  and  some  chimneys  rose  above  the  heavy 
Venetian  walls  of  the  town,  which  frown  defiance  at  the 
old  Turkish  fortress  across  the  strait.  The  island  appears 
to  be  well  cultivated ;  we  sailed  for  several  hours  under  its 
western  shore,  which  falls  in  steep  masses  of  pale  red  rock 
to  the  sea.  Sappho's  Leap,  of  course,  was  the  great  point 
of  interest.  It  is  a  precipice  about  two  hundred  feet  in 
height,  near  the  southern  extremity  of  the  island,  and,  I 
should  judge,  well  adapted  for  the  old  lady's  purpose.  I 
must  confess  that,  in  spite  of  Sappho's  genius — and  I  believe 
her  to  be  the  only  genuine  female  poet  for  two  thousand 


FIKST   DAYS    IN   GREECE.  25 

years  before  and  after  her  time — her  theatrical  death  does 
not  move  me  now.  It  once  did.  At  the  age  of  seventeen, 
I  wrote  a  poem,  wildly  thrilling  and  full  of  gushing  pathos, 
on  "  The  Death  of  Sappho."  Of  course,  I  represented  her 
as  a  young  and  beautiful  girl.  But  it  makes  a  difference, 
when  you  know  that  she  was  old  enough  to  be  Phaon's 
mother,  and  that,  although  Alcseus  sings  of  her  as  the 
"  violet-haired  and  sweetly-smiling  Sappho,"  the  probability 
is  that  she  was  sallow,  scraggy,  and  ill-favored,  as  are  all 
Grecian  women  at  the  age  of  fifty. 

The  fact  is,  the  mist  of  antiquity  enlarges,  glorifies,  and 
transfigures  everything.  As  it  was  in  the  days  of  Solon  and 
Pisistratus,  so  it  is  now.  The  Heroic  Age  is  far  behind  us ; 
the  race  of  demigods  has  disappeared  from  the  earth. 
Perhaps  it  is  as  well  that  the  Past  is  so  doubtful,  that  we 
look  upon  its  figures  as  on  the  procession  of  a  marble  frieze, 
not  applying  to  them  the  littleness  of  our  own  everyday 
life.  We  should  else  lose  somewhat  of  our  veneration  for 
them,  and  thereby,  for  what  is  noble  in  our  own  time. 
Plato  in  patent-leather  boots — and  yet,  no  doubt,  Plato 
conformed  to  the  petty  fashions  of  his  time — would  not  be 
for  us  the  honey-lipped  sage  of  the  Academy.  Every  man 
of  those  old  Greeks  had  his  faults,  his  jealousies,  his  sins — 
not  less  than  our  own,  but  rather  more.  The  historic 
interest  attaching  to  a  place,  is  one  thing;  the  emotion 
which  it  inspires  in  the  traveller's  mind,  is  another.  When 
the  latter  does  not  come  unsought,  it  is  a  pitiful  hypocrisy 
to  counterfeit  it,  and  I  therefore  promise  the  reader,  that, 
as  I  do  not  consider  the  ancient  Greeks  a  whit  better  than 
the  Anglo-Saxons,  although  in  specialities  they  obtained  a 

2 


26  TRAVELS    IX    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

higher  development,  I  shall  concern  myself  with  them  as 
little  as  possible. 

Cephalonia  now  rose  before  us,  with  the  steep,  blue  hills 
of  Ithaca  on  the  left,  and  at  sunset  we  were  at  anchor  in 
the  spacious  Gulf  of  Argostoli.  The  town  is  built  along 
one  side  of  a  circular  bay,  and  makes  a  very  pretty  appear 
ance  from  the  water.  Here  we  landed  Col.  Talbot,  the 
Resident  of  the  island,  a  very  agreeable  and  intelligent 
gentleman,  who  appears  to  be  quite  popular  among  the 
natives.  During  the  night  we  touched  at  Zante,  and  by 
sunrise  lay  at  anchor  off  Missolonghi,  renowned  through 
the  names  of  Bozzaris  and  Byron.  The  bay  is  so  shallow 
that  large  vessels  cannot  approach  nearer  than  four  or  five 
miles,  owdng  to  which  cause  we  were  unable  to  go  ashore. 
The  town  is  built  on  level,  marshy  ground,  at  the  foot  of 
the  Acarnanian  Mountains,  yet,  in  spite  of  its  situation,  it 
is  said  to  be  quite  healthy.  Among  our  passengers  was  a 
native  of  Missolonghi,  a  gigantic  Greek,  by  the  name  of 
"  George,''  the  avant-courier  of  a  Russian  nobleman.  lie 
remembered  Byron  in  his  Greek  costume,  very  well.  His 
father  was  killed  during  the  siege,  himself,  mother,  and 
sisters  taken  by  the  Egyptians  and  sent  as  slaves  to  Cairo, 
whence  they  only  escaped  after  seven  years'  servitude. 
After  serving  as  courier  for  many  years,  he  had  come  back 
to  Missolonghi  to  settle,  and  had  laid  out  his  earnings  in  a 
currant  plantation  ;  which  speculation,  on  account  of  the 
vine-sickness  and  heavy  rains,  turned  out  so  badly  that  he 
was  obliged  to  go  back  to  his  old  business.  He  looked  like 
an  honest  fellow,  and  in  spite  of  his  extreme  obsequious 
ness  and  constant  use  of  "  gnadiger  herr^  (which  came 


FIRST    DAYS    IX    GREECE.  27 

from  having  lived  in  Vienna),  I  agreed  to  employ  him  until 
we  should  get  settled  in  Athens. 

On  the  southern  or  Acha'ian  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Corinth, 
sixteen  miles  distant,  is  Patras,  one  of  the  most  flourish 
ing  ports  in  Greece.  The  mediaeval  town,  as  well  as  the 
broad,  rich  plain  behind  it,  were  completely  laid  waste  by 
the  troops  of  Ibrahim  Pasha,  and  only  the  fortress,  which 
crowns  a  steep  height,  and  from  which  the  Greeks  never 
were  able  to  dislodge  the  Turkish  garrison,  even  when  all 
the  rest  of  the  Morea  was  in  their  own  hands,  has  been 
spared.  From  its  walls,  on  the  warm,  cloudless  afternoon 
of  our  visit,  we  overlooked  the  beautiful  Acha'ian  plain, 
whose  olive  orchards,  barely  old  enough  to  give  a  faint, 
silvery  gleam  to  the  landscape,  showed  how  complete  the 
desolation  had  been.  At  our  feet  lay  the  white,  bustling, 
new  town,  a  very  hive  of  industry ;  then  the  dark,  dazzling 
purple  of  the  Gulf,  beyond  which  the  stupendous  headlands 
of  Kakiscala  and  Arassova  rose  like  colossal  pyramids. 

At  Patras,  I  set  foot,  for  the  first  time,  on  the  mainland 
of  Greece,  and  nowhere  could  a  stranger  receive  a  more 
favorable  impression  of  Modern  Hellas.  The  streets  are 
broad,  regular,  and  kept  in  very  good  order,  the  houses 
comfortable  and  substantial,  the  bazaars  crowded,  and  the 
shops  of  the  mechanics,  open  to  the  street,  present  a  suc 
cession  of  busy  pictures.  Few  idlers  were  to  be  seen ; 
even  the  shoemaker  was  putting  out  a  row  of  soles  to  dry, 
in  the  principal  street,  and  some  ropemakers  were  reel 
ing  in  another.  Meeting  the  Bey,  who  was  walking  about 
in  state,  followed  at  a  respectful  distance  by  his  attend 
ants,  we  invited  him  to  accompany  us  to  a  garden  outside 


28  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

the  town,  whither  George  proposed  conducting  us.  The 
unusual  procession  attracted  a  number  of  spectators,  and 
we  were  followed  by  a  large  crowd  of  boys  to  the  outskirts 
of  Patras.  The  garden  was  of  considerable  extent,  and 
filled  with  superb  orange  and  lemon  trees,  boughs  of  which 
were  broken  and  laid  before  us.  The  attendants  brought 
a  table,  the  Bey  lit  his  pipe,  and  three  of  the  delights  of 
the  Orient — shade,  smoke,  and  verdure — were  at  once  sup 
plied.  In  an  arbor  near  us  were  a  party  of  Greeks,  the 
gentlemen  in  crimson  jackets  and  leggings  and  snowy  fus- 
tanellas,  and  the  ladies  in  the  coquettish  little  fez,  with  its 
golden  tassel,  which  gives  such  a  charm  to  black  eyes  and 
black  hair. 

The  next  morning  we  passed  between  the  fortresses  of 
Morea  and  Roumelia,  touched  at  Lepanto  (the  ancient 
Naupactus),  and  found  ourselves  fairly  within  that  long, 
land-locked  gulf,  whose  shores  are  mountains  of  immortal 
name.  The  day  was  of  a  crystalline  clearness,  and  the 
long,  rhythmical  undulations,  the  grouped  or  scattered 
peaks  of  those  interlinking  mountain-chains,  which  seem  to 
have  arisen,  like  the  walls  of  Thebes,  to  the  sound  of  music, 
were  as  clearly  and  delicately  cut  upon  the  blue  plane  of 
the  air  as  the  figures  of  a  frieze  of  Phidias.  As  we  stood 
across  towards  Yostitza,  the  snowy  hump  of  Parnassus  rose 
above  his  tawny,  barren  buttresses,  crowning  the  Dorian 
hills.  Further  eastward,  the  faintly-streaked  summit  of 
Helicon,  whose  base  thrust  a  bold  headland  into  the  gulf; 
still  further,  floating  in  the  dimmest  distance,  CithaBron, 
and  on  the  southern  shore,  before  us,  the  wild,  dark  masses 
of  the  Erymanthian  hills,  sloping  away  towards  the  white 


FIKST   DAYS   IN   GREECE.  29 

cone  of  Cyllene,  whose  forests  sheltered  the  young  Jupiter. 
Apart  from  the  magic  of  these  names,  the  Corinthian  Gulf 
is  a  noble  piece  of  water,  deep,  sheltered,  and  with  few 
impediments  to  navigation.  But  how  deserted  !  During 
the  day  we  spent  in  traversing  its  whole  length,  crossing 
twice  from  shore  to  shore,  we  did  not  see  three  vessels. 
At  Galaxidi,  near  the  foot  of  Parnassus,  however,  ship 
building  is  carried  on  to  some  extent,  the  wood  being 
brought  down  from  the  Dorian  forests.  The  Greek  vessels 
are  all  very  small,  and  the  largest  of  those  on  the  stocks  at 
Galaxidi  would  not  exceed  two  hundred  tons. 

By  sunset,  we  were  anchored  at  Lutraki,  on  the  Isthmus 
of  Corinth,  at  the  foot  of  a  spur  of  the  Geranean  Hills. 
Corinth  and  its  grand  acropolis  lay  to  the  south,  eight  or 
ten  miles  distant,  guarding  the  entrance  into  the  Pelopon 
nesus;  the  Nemean  Hills,  the  boundary  of  Argos,  rose 
duskily  in  the  rear.  A  chilly  tramontanes,  or  northwind, 
was  blowing,  and  the  barren,  rocky,  desolate  shore  sug 
gested  Norway  rather  than  Greece.  Notwithstanding 
Lutraki  is  the  port  of  transit  for  the  western  side  of  the 
Isthmus,  which  is  here  only  four  or  five  miles  in  breadth, 
the  place  consists  of  just  three  houses.  A  wrarm  mineral 
spring,  with  decided  healing  properties,  gushes  out  of  the 
earth,  on  the  shore  of  the  Gulf,  but  nobody  can  make  use 
of  it,  because  there  is  no  house  erected,  and  no  possibility 
of  getting  a  bed  or  a  meal  in  the  whole  town.  That  eve 
ning,  at  dinner,  the  Greeks  told  us  how  the  road  across 
the  isthmus  is  guarded  with  troops,  because  only  two  years 
previous  sixty  thousand  drachmas  ($10,000)  belonging  to 
the  Government  were  taken  by  robbers.  Also,  that  the 


30  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND   RUSSIA. 

same  gentlemen  had  quite  recently  entered  Corinth,  plun 
dered  the  house  of  a  merchant  and  carried  off  his  little  son, 
whom  they  retained  in  the  mountains  until  the  father  raised 
an  immense  ransom.  I  began  to  find  my  respect  for 
Modern  Greece  rapidly  diminishing. 

The  next  morning  we  were  transported  across  the  isth 
mus  in  shabby,  second-hand  carriages.  The  country  is  a 
wilderness,  overgrown  with  mastic,  sage,  wild  olive,  and 
the  pale  green  Isthmian  pine.  Companies  of  soldiers,  in 
grey  Bavarian  uniforms,  guarded  the  road.  The  highest 
part  of  the  isthmus  is  not  more  than  a  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea,  and  it  is  estimated  that  a  ship  canal  could  be  cut 
through  for  about  two  millions  of  dollars.  Kalamaki,  on 
the  eastern  side,  is  a  miserable  little  village,  with  this 
advantage  over  Lutraki,  that  it  possesses  a  khan.  The 
steamer  from  PiraBus,  which  was  to  take  us  thither,  had 
not  arrived,  and  towards  noon  the  pangs  of  hunger  com 
pelled  us  to  visit  this  khan.  We  found  the  Greek  passen 
gers  already  assembled  there,  and  regaling  themselves  on 
the  various  delicacies  displayed  at  the  door.  There  were 
fish  of  various  kinds,  swimming  in  basins  of  rancid  oil,  but 
they  had  been  cooked  two  or  three  days  previous,  and 
were  not  to  be  eaten.  We  had  more  success  with  the 
bread,  but  the  wine  resembled  a  mixture  of  vinegar  and 
tar,  and  griped  the  stomach  with  sharp  claws.  The 
appearance  of  the  cheese,  which  was  packed  into  the  skin 
of  a  black  hog,  who  lay  on  his  back  with  his  snout  and 
four  feet  in  the  air,  and  a  deep  gash  in  his  belly,  in  order  to 
reach  the  doubtful  composition,  was  quite  sufficient.  We 
at  last  procured  a  few  eggs  and  some  raw  onions,  both  of 


FIEST   DAYS    IN    GREECE.  31 

which  are  protected  by  nature  from  the  contact  of  filthy 
hands,  and  therefore  cannot  be  so  easily  spoiled. 

I  went  into  some  of  the  rooms  of  the  khan,  which  offered 
simply  bare  walls,  a  dirty  floor,  and  no  window,  for  the 
accommodation  of  travellers.  An  Albanian  Greek  and  his 
wife,  who  took  their  breakfast  in  one  of  these  rooms,  were 
obliged  to  pay  half  a  dollar  for  the  use  thereof.  The  Alba 
nian  had  been  for  some  years  settled  in  Athens,  where  he 
was  doing  business  as  a  small  shopkeeper.  At  length,  he 
felt  the  need  of  a  wife,  and,  true  to  the  clannish  spirit  of 
the  Greeks,  went  off  to  his  native  Janina  to  procure  one. 
There  were  plenty  of  better  educated  and  handsomer 
women  in  Athens,  but  he  preferred  the  stout  mass  of 
health,  stupidity,  and  pitiable  ignorance  which  he  was 
taking  home,  because  she  belonged  to  his  own  tribe.  I  do 
not  suppose  she  ever  before  wore  a  Christian  dress,  or 
ate  otherwise  than  with  her  fingers,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
look  after  and  assist  her,  as  if  she  had  been  a  three-years- 
old  child.  In  the  morning,  he  superintended  her  toilette, 
helping  her  to  wash  and  dress  herself;  at  table,  he  placed 
the  food  upon  her  plate  and  showed  her  how  to  eat  it ;  and 
he  never  dared  to  leave  her  for  a  moment  through  the  day, 
lest  she  should  make  some  absurd  mistake.  I  admired  his 
unremitting  care  and  patience,  no  less  than  her  perfect 
reliance  on  his  instructions.  In  fact,  it  was  quite  touching 
at  times  to  see  her  questioning,  half-frightened  look  say  to 
him :  "  What  must  I  do  now  ?"  If  he  sought  a  healthy 
mother  for  his  children,  he  certainly  found  one,  but  I  sus 
pect  that  is  about  the  only  advantage  he  will  derive  from 
his  union  with  her. 


32  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

It  was  noon  before  we  embarked,  and  a  violent  north 
wind  retarded  our  slow  old  steamer.  We  ran  across  the 
Saronic  Gulf,  between  the  islands  of  Salarnis  and  Egiiia, 
catching  a  glimpse  of  Megara  on  the  right,  while  the  Acro 
polis  of  Corinth  sank  and  grew  dim  behind  us.  But  every 
body  knows  the  letter  of  Sulpicius  to  Cicero,  rhymed  by 
Byron,  and  I  shall  not  quote  it  again.  On  Egina  I  saw,  in 
the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Pan- 
hellenius.  Turning  to  one  of  the  Greeks  on  board  (an  ex- 
member  of  the  Legislature  of  the  Ionian  Islands),  I  pointed 
it  out  to  him.  "  Ah,"  said  he,  "  I  did  not  know  there  was 
a  temple  there !" — and  yet,  thence  came  the  Eginetan  mar 
bles.  As  we  turned  the  corner  of  Salamis,  the  Acropolis 
of  Athens  detached  itself  from  the  shadows  wrapping  the 
base  of  Hymettus,  and  shone  with  a  beckoning  gleam.  In 
half  an  hour  more,  it  was  dark.  The  wind  blew  fiercely, 
the  moon  shone  cold,  and  Ave  moved  slowly  into  the  harbor 
of  the  Piraeus. 

The  competition  of  the  boatmen  was  something  frightful. 
George,  however,  shielded  us,  and  in  the  course  of  time 
we  landed  with  our  baggage.  Lumbering  carriages  were 
in  waiting  to  take  us  to  Athens.  Nobody  called  for  pass 
ports,  and  a  huge  official,  with  baggy  island  trowsers  and  a 
smiling,  rotund  face,  turned  his  back  when  our  trunks  were 
brought  ashore,  in  consideration  of  the  moderate  fee  of 
sixteen  cents. 

Now  we  set  off  for  Athens,  shivering  in  the  sharp  wind, 
and  looking  out  on  either  hand  on  bare,  bleak  fields,  lighted 
by  the  full  moon.  After  an  hour,  some  olive-trees  appeared, 
and  we  crossed  the  Cephissus ;  then  bare  fields  again, 


FIRST    DAYS    IN    GHEECE.  33 

bleaker  and  colder  than  ever.  At  last  the  ground  became 
more  uneven,  broke  into  detached  hills  on  our  right,  over 
which  towered  the  Acropolis — there  was  no  mistaking  that 
— and  we  recognised  without  difficulty,  the  Hill  of  the 
Nymphs,  the  Areopagus,  and  the  Museion.  Now  com 
menced  the  town  itself— low,  shabby  houses,  streets  lighted 
only  by  the  moon.  Here,  thought  I,  is  a  terrible  disen 
chantment.  Can  anything  be  more  forlorn  and  desolate  ? 
The  chill,  grey  hue  of  all  things,  the  bareness  and  bleak 
ness  of  our  approach,  the  appearance  of  the  modern  town, 
the  cold,  piercing  air,  made,  all  together,  the  most  disheart 
ening  impression  upon  me. 

But  when  we  got  into  Hermes  street,  and  thence  to  our 
hotel  (de  l>  Orient),  things  looked  much  more  cheerful  and 
promising.  Once  inside  that  edifice,  we  forgot  our  disap 
pointment—forgot  Athens,  indeed — for  a  Christmas  dinner 
awaited  us,  and  there  were  other  places  and  other  people 
to  be  remembered. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ON    THE    ACROPOLIS. 

OUR  first  Athenian  day  was  bright  and  fair,  and  what  we 
saw  during  a  walk  to  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Olympus  was 
entirely  sufficient  to  remove  the  chill  impression  of  the  pre 
vious  night.  There  are  few  towns  of  its  size  in  the  world 
as  lively  as  Athens.  We  saw  almost  the  worst  of  it  on 
entering  from  the  Piraeus.  All  the  northern  portion,  which 
is  newer,  is  very  substantially  built,  and  has  a  comfortable 
air  of  growth  and  improvement.  As  half  the  population 
may  be  said  to  live  out  of  doors,  the  principal  streets  are 
always  thronged,  and  the  gorgeous  raiment  of  the  dandy 
palikars  brightens  and  adorns  them  amazingly.  It  is  not 
the  Orient,  by  a  great  deal ;  yet  it  is  far  removed  from  the 
soberness  of  Europe.  Indeed,  the  people  speak  of  Europe 
as  a  continent  outside  of  Greece.  Neither  is  Athens  parti 
cularly  Greek,  with  its  French  fashions  and  German  archi 
tecture.  It  is  simply  gay,  bizarre,  fantastic — a  salad  in 
which  many  heterogeneous  substances  combine  to  form  a 
palatable  whole. 


ON   THE   ACROPOLIS.  35 

I  found  one  old  friend — Fran9ois,  the  false  Janissary,  the 
intrepid  guide,  the  armed  confronter  of  robbers,  and  the 
enthusiastic  spouter  of  Homer,  whose  mingled  wit,  activity, 
intelligence,  and  ferocity,  have  been  described  at  length  by 
the  Countess  de  Gasparin,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Strauss,  and  your 
humble  servant.  The  day  after  our  arrival,  his  Albanian 
nose  and  formidable  moustache  entered  my  room,  followed 
by  himself  and  his  voice  of  surprise  and  welcome.  As  a 
natural  consequence,  he  was  booked  as  the  future  compa 
nion  of  our  Hellenic  journeys,  and  we  took  up  our  quarters 
in  his  house.  Through  him,  I  at  once  procured  from  Pitta- 
kys,  the  Conservator  of  Antiquities,  a  ticket  of  admission  to 
the  Acropolis,  and  we  devoted  the  next  day  to  our  first  visit. 

Fortunately — as  so  much  of  one's  satisfaction  depends  on 
the  luck  of  his  first  impression — the  day  was  a  gift  from 
heaven ;  not  a  wind  blowing,  not  a  cloud  floating,  and  so 
warm  that  we  threw  open  all  our  windows.  Hymettus, 
Corydallus,  and  Parnes  melted  into  vapory  purple  in  the 
distance,  but  the  nearer  hills  shone  clear  against  the  bluest 
of  Grecian  skies.  Fran9ois  came  at  noon  to  accompany  us. 
All  Athens  was  in  the  streets,  and  the  crimson  jackets  and 
clean  white  fustanellas  of  the  palikars  sparkled  far  and  near 
through  the  dismal  throng  of  Frank  dresses.  We  passed 
down  Hermes  street  to  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  in  order 
first  to  visit  the  Temple  of  Theseus.  This  edifice,  the  best- 
preserved  of  all  ancient  temples,  stands  on  a  mound  at  the 
foot  of  the  Areopagus,  on  its  western  side,  overlooking  part 
of  the  modern  city.  Its  outer  colonnade  of  Doric  pillars, 
tinted  with  a  rich  golden  stain,  is  entire ;  the  cella  is  for 
the  most  part  so,  and  little  but  the  roof  is  wanting.  It  is 


36  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

small,  but  very  beautiful,  and  with  such  a  background ! — 
the  olive  groves  of  the  Academy,  Colonos  and  Parnes. 

Our  way  was  through  the  depression  between  the  Areo 
pagus  and  the  Pnyx,  but  Fra^ois  took  us  aside  to  show 
us  the  smooth,  rocky  slant  on  the  Nympheon,  down  which 
the  sterile  dames  of  Athens  were  wont  to  slide,  in  order  to 
remove  their  reproach.  The  pregnant  women  also  per 
formed  the  same  ceremony,  it  is  said,  in  order  to  ascertain 
the  sex  of  the  unborn  child,  through  the  inclination  of  the 
body  to  the  right  or  left.  It  is  an  exposed  steep  plane  of 
native  rock,  with  a  rough  seat  at  the  top,  polished  very 
thoroughly  by  the  action  of  so  much  expectant  maternity. 
F.  seated  himself  and  slid  down,  in  order  to  show  us  how 
the  act  was  performed,  affirming  that  the  belief  still  exists, 
and  that  many  of  the  Athenian  women  of  the  present  day 
continue  the  practice. 

At  last  we  had  climbed  the  bare  surface  of  the  hill,  and 
stood  before  the  ancient  entrance  of  the  Acropolis — a  slop 
ing  pylon,  now  closed  by  a  wooden  grating.  An  arched 
way  through  a  Venetian  wall  on  the  right  admitted  us  to 
a  sort  of  ruinous  terrace,  overlooking  the  theatre  of  Herodes 
Atticus,  which  has  recently  been  excavated  down  to  the 
floor  of  the  arena,  and  now  shows  its  semicircular  tiers  of 
seats  up  to  the  topmost  gallery.  Here  we  stood  directly 
under  the  south-western  corner  of  the  wall  of  the  Acropolis, 
over  the  shoulder  of  which,  like  an  ivory  wedge  in  a  field 
of  lapis-lazuli,  gleamed  a  corner  of  the  pediment  of  the  Par 
thenon.  Who  could  stand  looking  down  into  a  theatre  of 
the  time  of  Hadrian,  when  the  Periclesian  temple  of  Pallas 
Athene  beckoned  to  him  from  the  sky  ? 


ON    THE   ACROPOLIS.  37 

"We  turned  back,  climbed  a  little  further,  entered  a  gate 
way,  exhibited  our  ticket  (a  month's  permission  to  visit 
the  Acropolis),  and  then  passed  through  another  wall  to 
the  broad  marble  staircase  leading  directly  up  to  the  Pro- 
pylasa  of  the  Acropolis.  This  staircase  has  been  cleared  of 
the  rubbish  of  sixteen  centuries,  the  dislodged  stones  have 
been  partially  replaced,  and  the  work  of  restoration  is  gra 
dually  and  carefully  progressing,  so  that  in  the  course  of 
time  the  ancient  entrance  will  be  almost  reconstructed. 
On  the  right  hand,  the  steps  for  pedestrians  remain  in  their 
original  position,  and  in  the  centre  are  fragments  of  the 
inclined  plane,  roughened  by  parallel  grooves,  for  the  feet 
of  horses  and  the  wheels  of  chariots.  Above  us,  tenderly 
enshrined  in  the  blue  air,  rose  the  beautiful  Doric  pillars  of 
the  Propyla3a,  bereft  of  capital  and  architrave,  but  scarcely 
needing  such  a  crown  to  perfect  their  exquisite  symmetry. 

"  You  are  now  going  up  the  same  steps  where  Pericles 
walked,"  said  Fra^ois.  Not  only  Pericles,  but  the  curled 
Alcibiades,  the  serene  Plato,  the  unshaken  Socrates,  the 
divine  Phidias,  Sophocles  and  ^Eschylus,  Herodotus  and 
Themistocles,  and — but  why  mention  names,  when  the  full 
sunshine  of  that  immortal  era  streams  upon  our  pathway  ? 
And  what  is  it  to  me  that  they  have  walked  where  I  now 
walk  ?  Let  me  not  be  wheedled  out  of  my  comfortable 
indifference  by  the  rhythmic  ringing  of  such  names.  The 
traveller  comes  here  expecting  to  be  impressed  by  the  asso 
ciations  of  the  spot,  and  by  a  strong  effort  he  succeeds  in 
impressing  himself.  Repeat  the  same  names  for  him  else 
where,  and  he  will  produce  the  same  effect.  But  for  me, 
I  am  hardened  against  conventional  sentiment ;  I  have 


38  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

seen  too  much  to  be  easily  moved ;  I  can  resist  the  magic 
of  ancient  memories,  no  matter  how  classic.  What  is  it  to 
me  that  Pericles  walked  up  these  steps — that  the  gilded 
robes  of  Aspasia  swept  these  Pentelican  slabs — that  Phidias 
saw  the  limbs  of  a  god  in  the  air,  or  Sophocles  chanted  a 
chorus  as  he  walked  ?  They  were  men,  and  I  am  a  man, 
too — probably  in  many  respects  as  good  as  they.  Had  I 
lived  in  their  time,  I  should  no  doubt  have  looked  upon 
them  without  the  least  awe — have  slapped  them  on  the  back, 
and  invited  them  to  dinner.  Now  why  should  their  ghosts 
shake  me  with  weak  emotion,  and  rob  me  of  my  cool 
judgment?  No.  I  shall  be  indifferent. 

So  meditating,  I  walked  up  the  steps.  When  we  reached 
the  first  range  of  pillars  stretched  across  the  stairway,  and 
came  upon  the  level  of  the  abutments  which  project  on 
either  hand,  we  stopped.  On  the  end  of  the  right  terrace 
stands  the  little  temple  of  JSFiJce  Apteros^  or  Wingless  Vic 
tory,  which  has  been  recovered,  piece  by  piece,  and  re- 
erected  in  its  original  form.  Opposite  to  it  is  a  massive 
square  pedestal,  twenty  feet  high,  on  which  once  stood, 
according  to  antiquarian  surmise,  equestrian  statues  of  the 
sons  of  Xenophon.  The  little  temple  is  a  j  e wel  of  a  structure, 
not  half  so  large  as  that  of  Vesta  at  Rome,  and  consists  only 
of  a  cella  with  four  Ionic  columns  at  each  end.  Neverthe 
less,  it  lightens  wonderfully  the  heavy  masses  of  masonry 
against  which  it  stands,  and  though  neither  in  the  lines  of 
its  erection,  nor  in  any  other  important  respect,  harmonizing 
with  the  colonnades  of  the  Propylaea,  I  defy  any  one  to 
show  wherein  it  does  not  harmonize  with  the  general 
impression  produced  by  this  majestic  front.  I  restrained 


ON    THE    ACKOPOLIS.  39 

my  impatience  awhile,  to  view  it,  and  was  well  repaid  by  the 
sight  of  the  bas-relief  of  Victory  untying  her  sandals,  the 
conjectured  work  of  Phidias. 

The  pillared  portal,  one  colonnade  rising  above  another, 
as  the  rock  ascends,  now  received  us.  Capitals  and  archi 
traves  are  gone,  except  those  of  the  last  rank,  and  huge 
blocks  of  the  superb  marble  lie  heaped  in  the  passages 
between  the  columns.  Beautiful  as  these  are,  lightly  as 
their  tapering  stems  rise  against  the  blue  vault,  the  impres 
sion  created  by  the  Propylaea  is  cheerful  and  elevating. 
And  when  you  turn,  looking  down  through  the  fluted  vista, 
over  the  Areopagus,  over  the  long  plain  of  the  Cephissus, 
shimmering  silverly  with  the  olive  groves  of  the  Academy, 
to  the  pass  of  Daphne  and  the  blue  hills  of  Salamis,  you  feel 
no  longer  the  desolation  of  ruin,  but  inhale,  with  quiet  enjoy 
ment,  the  perfect  harmony  of  the  picture. 

The  Propyla3a  still  form  a  portal  which  divides  two 
worlds.  You  leave  modern  and  mediaeval  associations 
behind  you,  and  are  alone  with  the  Past.  Over  the  ram 
parts  of  the  Acropolis,  you  see  no  more  of  the  mountains 
or  the  distant  ^Egean  islands  than  the  oldest  Greek — large 
outlines,  simple  tints,  and  no  object  distinct  enough  to  tell 
whether  it  be  modern  or  ancient.  The  last  of  the  portals 
is  passed :  you  are  on  the  summit  alone  with  the  Parthenon. 
You  need  no  pointing  finger:  your  eye  turns,  instinctively, 
to  where  it  stands.  Over  heaps  of  ruin,  over  a  plain  buried 
under  huge  fragments  of  hewn  and  sculptured  marble — 
drums  of  pillars,  pedestals,  capitals,  cornices,  friezes,  tri- 
glyphs,  and  sunken  panel-work — a  wilderness  of  mutilated 
Art — it  rises  between  you  and  the  sky,  which  forms  its  only 


40  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

background,  and  against  which  every  scar  left  by  the  infidel 
generations  shows  its  gash.  Broken  down  to  the  earth  in 
the  middle,  like  a  ship  which  has  struck  and  parted,  with 
the  roof,  cornices,  and  friezes  mostly  gone,  and  not  a  column 
unmutilated ;  and  yet  with  the  tawny  gold  of  two  thousand 
years  staining  its  once  spotless  marble,  sparkling  with  snow- 
white  marks  of  shot  and  shell,  and  with  its  soaring  pillars 
imbedded  in  the  dark-blue  ether  (and  here  the  sky  seems 
blue  only  because  they  need  such  a  background),  you 
doubt  for  a  moment  whether  the  melancholy  of  its  ruin,  or 
the  perfect  and  majestic  loveliness  which  shines  through 
that  ruin,  is  most  powerful. 

I  did  not  stop  to  solve  this  doubt.  Once  having  looked 
upon  the  Parthenon,  it  was  impossible  to  look  elsewhere, 
and  I  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  finding  a  narrow  lane  through 
the  chaos  of  fragments  piled  almost  as  high  as  my  head, 
until  I  stood  below  the  western  front.  I  looked  up  at  the 
Doric  shafts,  colossal  as  befitted  the  shrine  of  a  goddess, 
yet  tender  and  graceful  as  flower-stems,  upholding  without 
effort  the  massive  entablature  and  the  shattered  pediment, 
in  one  corner  of  which  two  torsos  alone  remain  of  all  the 
children  of  Phidias,  and — to  my  confusion  I  must  confess 
it — all  my  fine  resolves  were  forgotten.  I  was  seized  with 
an  overpowering  mixture  of  that  purest  and  loftiest  admi 
ration  which  is  almost  the  same  thing  as  love,  and  of  unmi 
tigated  grief  and  indignation.  Well — consider  me  a  fool 
if  you  like — but,  had  I  been  alone,  I  should  have  cast 
myself  prone  upon  the  marble  pavement,  and  exhausted, 
in  some  hysterical  way,  the  violence  of  this  unexpected 
passion.  As  it  was,  I  remained  grimly  silent,  not  venturing 


01*   THE    ACKOPOLIS.  41 

to  speak,  except  when  Franyois,  pointing  to  the  despoiled 
pediment,  said :  "  All  the  other  statues  were  carried  away 
by  Lord  Elgin."  The  strong  Anglo-Saxon  expression  I 
then  made  use  of,  in  connexion  with  Lord  Elgin's  name, 
was  not  profane,  under  such  provocation,  and  was  imme 
diately  pardoned  by  the  woman  at  my  side. 

We  ascended  the  steps  to  the  floor  of  the  temple,  walked 
over  its  barren  pavement  past  the  spot  where  stood  the 
statue  of  ivory  and  gold,  past  the  traces  of  hideous  Byzan 
tine  frescoes,  to  the  centre,  where  the  walls  and  colonnades 
on  either  hand  are  levelled  to  the  very  floor,  and  sat  down 
in  the  marble  chairs  of  the  ancient  priests,  to  contemplate 
the  wreck  in  silence.  Oh,  unutterable  sorrow  ! — for  all  the 
ages  to  come  can  never  restore  the  glory  which  has  here 
been  destroyed.  Ye  may  smile,  ye  yet  unshaken  columns, 
secure  in  your  immortality  of  beauty,  but  ye  cannot  take 
away  the  weight  of  that  reproach  uttered  by  your  fallen 
brethren.  Man  built  them,  man  ruined  them,  but  he  can 
no  more  recreate  them  than  he  can  rebeget  the  child  which 
he  has  lost.  In  their  perfect  symmetry  was  solved  the 
enigma  of  that  harmony  which  is  the  very  being  of  God 
and  the  operation  of  His  laws.  These  blocks  of  sunny 
marble  were  piled  upon  each  other  to  the  chorus  of  the 
same  song  which  the  seasons  sing  in  their  ordered  round, 
and  the  planets  in  their  balanced  orbits.  The  cheerful  gods 
are  dethroned;  the  rhythmic  pulsations  of  the  jubilant  reli 
gion  which  inspired  this  immortal  work  have  died  away,  and 
Earth  will  never  see  another  Parthenon. 

The  air  was  perfectly  still,  the  sky  calm  as  Summer  over 
head,  and,  as  we  sat  in  the  marble  chairs,  we  looked  out 


42  TRAVELS   IN    GREECE   AND   EUSSIA. 

over  the  ruins  and  the  parapet  of  the  Acropolis,  to  the 
purple  hills  of  Pentelicus  and  Parnes  in  the  north  and  west, 
and  to  the  ^Egean  Sea,  flashing  in  the  sunshine  like  a  pave 
ment  of  silver  between  the  shores  of  Attica  and  .^Egina, 
Poros  and  Hydra,  in  the  distance.  The  glorious  landscape, 
bathed  in  all  beautiful  tints,  and  filling  the  horizon  with 
swelling  curves  and  long,  vanishing  outlines,  wore  that 
soothed  and  tranquil  air  which  a  day  of  Summer,  falling 
suddenly  in  the  lap  of  Winter,  always  brings  with  it.  But 
there  was  no  solace  for  me  in  the  sunny  repose  of  the  Gre 
cian  world  below.  I  sat  in  a  temple  dedicated  to  Eternal 
Sorrow — 

"  So  beautiful,  if  Sorrow  had  not  made 
Sorrow  more  beautiful  than  Beauty's  self" — 

and  a  grief,  in  which  there  was  no  particle  of  selfishness, 
overcame  me.  Is  it  egotism  to  mention  these  things  ?  Or 
can  I  tell  you  what  the  Parthenon  still  is,  better  than  by 
confessing  how  it  impressed  me?  If  you  want  feet  and 
yards,  cubic  measure,  history  and  architectural  technicalities, 
you  shall  have  them-r-but  not  to-day.  Let  me  indulge  my 
sacred  fury ! 

After  awhile,  Braisted  desperately  lit  a  cigar,  saying  :  "  I 
must  have  something  between  my  teeth,  or  I  shall  grind 
them  to  pieces.  I  would  destroy  all  the  later  architec 
ture  of  Europe,  except  the  Duomo  at  Milan,  to  restore 
this."  So,  almost,  would  I.  For  this  is  the  true  temple 
of  Divinity.  Its  perfect  beauty  is  the  expression  of  love 
and  joy, 'such  as  never  yet  dwelt  in  the  groined  arches  of 
Gothic  aisles,  or  the  painted  domes  of  Roman  worship. 


ON   THE   ACEOPOLIS.  43 

"But  Ruskin  says  that  Grecian  architecture  is  atheistic," 
whispers  a  neophyte  of  the  fashionable  school.  Then  tell 
Ruskin,  who  is  so  sagacious  in  some  things,  so  capricious  in 
others,  that,  in  endeavoring  to  be  terse  and  original,  he  has 
simply  been  absurd.  I  will  not  say  a  word  against  the 
solemnities  of  Gothic  Art,  which  he  declares  to  be  the  only 
religious  form  of  architecture;  but  I  ask,  is  there  no  joy, 
no  cheerfulness,  no  comfort,  no  hopeful  inspiration,  in  our 
religion  ?  If  there  is,  God  has  no  better  temple  on  earth 
than  the  Parthenon. 

Atheistic  ?  Prove  it,  and  you  glorify  Atheism.  You 
may  take  models  of  the  Parthenon,  at  home,  you  may  take 
drawings  and  photographs,  and  build  up  any  super-tran 
scendental  theory  out  of  such  materials.  Then  come  here, 
stand  in  the  midst  of  its  ruin,  listen  to  the  august  voice 
which  yet  speaks  from  these  sunburnt  marbles,  and  unless 
you  be  one  of  those  narrow  souls  who  would  botanize  upon 
his  mother's  grave,  you  will  fall  down  upon  your  knees 
and  repent  of  your  sins. 

I  thought  all  these  thoughts,  and  a  thousand  more,  while 
sitting  in  the  marble  chair,  fronting  the  vacant  pavement 
of  the  sanctuary  of  Pallas  Athene.  I  did  not  care  for  the 
dethroned  Pallas,  nor  her  dead  worshippers ;  I  thought  not 
of  myself  nor  my  race,  of  Greeks  or  Americans,  of  400  B.C, 
or  1857  A.D.  I  was  possessed  with  the  spirit  of  the  glo 
rious  temple  around  and  above  me.  And  the  reflection 
came,  involuntarily :  Are  not  the  triumphs  of  human  art 
the  sublimest  praises  of  Him  who  created  the  human  mind  ? 
What  conceptions  of  a  Deity  guided  the  hand  which  daubed 
yonder  barbarous  frescoes,  and  that  which  raised  these 


44  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

perfect  pillars  ?  What  ancient  or  modern  Saint  dares  to 
sneer  at  Heathen  Greece,  where  Socrates  spake,  and  Phidias 
chiselled,  and  Ictinus  built,  glorifying  God  through  the 
glory  of  Man  for  all  time  to  come  ? 

We  walked  slowly  away,  and  looked  down  from  the 
northern  rampart  upon  modern  Athens,  the  whole  of  which 
lay  spread  out  beneath  our  feet.  It  was  a  depressing — I 
had  almost  said  disgusting — sight.  A  company  of  dirty 
Greeks  were  gambling  in  the  street  at  the  foot  of  the  Acro 
polis  ;  the  bells  were  ringing  in  the  churches,  and  some 
bearded  priests,  with  candles  in  their  hands,  were  chanting 
nasally  and  dismally,  in  slow  procession ;  still  further,  shabby 
fiacres  moving  to  and  fro,  slovenly  soldiers  in  German  uni 
forms,  country  people  with  laden  asses,  and  beggars  by  the 
wayside.  The  King's  Palace  shone  bald  and  broad  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Lycabettus,  and  the  new  portion  of  the  city, 
with  its  square  German  houses,  stretched  scatteringly  away 
over  the  brown  swells,  until  the  eye  passed  it  to  rest, 
relieved,  on  the  olive  orchards  of  Colonos  and  the  fair  blue 
gorges  of  Mount  Parnes. 

We  went  through  and  around  the  Erechtheion,  and  then 
slowly  picked  our  way  through  the  wilderness  of  ruin  to 
the  Propylasa  again.  But,  as  I  descended  the  steps  of  the 
Acropolis,  I  remembered  who  had  walked  there — not  Peri 
cles,  nor  Plato,  nor  ^Eschylus,  nor  Demosthenes — but 
Ictinus,  the  builder,  and  Phidias,  the  sculptor  of  the  Par 
thenon. 


CHAPTER    V. 

WINTER    LIFE     IN     ATHENS. 

OUR  first  week  in  Athens  was  spent  at  the  Hotel  d'Orient, 
whose  large,  dreary,  uncomfortable  apartments  we  were 
glad  to  leave.  The  nominal  cost  of  living  at  this  establish 
ment  is  ten  francs  a  day,  for  which,  however,  one  only 
receives  a  bed  and  two  meals,  the  latter  neither  choice  nor 
plentiful.  Everything  else  is  an  extra  charge,  at  the  high 
est  possible  rates.  Our  little  fire  was  kept  alive  with  bits 
of  ancient  olive-tree  roots,  at  the  rate  of  a  franc  and  a  half 
the  basketful.  The  landlord  and  servants  endeavored  to 
make  up  for  their  awkwardness  and  neglect  by  a  cringing 
obsequiousness,  which  only  rendered  them  more  disagree 
able.  The  other  Athenian  hotels,  I  understand,  are  con 
ducted  on  the  same  principle.  Like  all  other  establish 
ments  of  the  kind  in  the  Orient,  they  are  probably  good 
enough  in  Summer,  when  fresh  air  is  the  traveller's  greatest 
luxury. 

At  the  end  of  eight  days  we  migrated  to  the  pandocheion 
of  Fran 9013,  in  a  pleasant  situation  near  the  University. 


46  TRAVELS    IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

Here  we  found  less  pretentious  and  more  comfortable  apart 
ments,  and  equally  good  meals,  at  a  reasonable  price.  The 
doors  and  windows  were  shaky  and  admitted  the  wind,  it 
is  true,  but  our  sitting-room  fronted  the  south  (with  a  view 
of  the  Acropolis  and  the  Areopagus),  and  could  be  kept 
warm  without  more  labor  or  expense  than  would  be  required 
for  an  entire  dwelling  at  home.  Our  principal  anxiety 
was,  that  the  supply  of  fuel,  at  any  price,  might  become 
exhausted.  We  burned  the  olive  and  the  vine,  the  cypress 
and  the  pine,  twigs  of  rose-trees  and  dead  cabbage-stalks, 
for  aught  I  know,  to  feed  our  one  little  sheet-iron  stove. 
For  full  two  months  we  were  obliged  to  keep  up  our  fire 
from  morning  until  night.  Know  ye  the  land  of  the  cypress 
and  myrtle,  where  the  flowers  ever  blossom,  the  beams 
ever  shine  ?  Here  it  is,  with  almost  snow  enough  in  the 
streets  for  a  sleighing  party,  with  the  Ilissus  frozen,  and 
with  a  tolerable  idea  of  Lapland,  when  you  face  the  gusts 
which  drive  across  the  Cephissian  plain. 

As  the  other  guests  were  Greek,  our  mode  of  living  was 
similar  to  that  of  most  Greek  families.  We  had  coifee  in 
the  morning,  a  substantial  breakfast  about  noon,  and  din 
ner  at  six  in  the  evening.  The  dishes  were  constructed 
after  French  and  Italian  models,  but  the  meat  is  mostly 
goat's  flesh.  Beef,  when  it  appears,  is  a  phenomenon  of 
toughness.  Vegetables  are  rather  scarce.  Cow's  milk, 
and  butter  or  cheese  therefrom,  are  substances  unknown  in 
Greece.  The  milk  is  from  goats  or  sheep,  and  the  butter 
generally  from  the  latter.  It  is  a  white,  cheesy  material, 
with  a  slight  flavor  of  tallow.  The  wine,  when  you  get  it 
unmixed  with  resin,  is  very  palatable.  We  drank  that  of 


WINTER   LIFE   IN   ATHENS.  47 

Santorin,  with  the  addition  of  a  little  water,  and  found  it 
an  excellent  beverage.  There  are  also  three  German  brew 
eries  in  Athens,  which  produce  Bavarian  beer.  Last  and 
not  least,  the  water,  especially  that  of  the  fountain  of 
Callirhoe,  is  delicious. 

The  other  inmates  of  our  house  consisted  of  a  Servian 
Greek,  with  his  family,  from  Thessalonica,  and  three  Greek 
ladies  from  Constantinople.  They  were  all  wealthy  persons, 
and  probably  good  specimens  of  the  Greeks  of  their  class. 
Two  of  the  ladies  received  their  education  in  Mrs.  Hill's 
school,  and  spoke  French  passably  well.  The  Servian  was 
an  amiable  fellow,  devoted  to  his  wife,  whom  he  had 
brought  to  Athens  for  her  health,  but  who  lay  for  weeks  at 
the  point  of  death.  She  had  her  bedroom  scrubbed  soon 
after  our  arrival,  and  slept  in  it  immediately  afterward. 
Besides  spending  the  coldest  of  the  winter  nights  in  prayer 
in  a  church,  her  husband  brought  a  couple  of  priests  every 
day  to  help  her  by  the  chanting  of  nasal  liturgies.  Once 
they  came  in  the  middle  of  the  night  to  administer  the 
sacrament  to  her.  As  the  poor  woman  survived  her 
spiritual  treatment,  the  material  remedies  administered  to 
her  must  have  been  of  remarkable  efficacy.  Although  her 
complaint  was  simply  an  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  the 
three  Fanariote  ladies  finally  left  the  house,  through  dread 
of  an  infection.  During  their  stay,  they  never,  appeared  at 
breakfast,  their  custom  being  to  remain  in  a  loose  undress 
until  evening.  They  generally  lay  in  bed  until  noon, 
and  Theodori,  the  chamber-man,  carried  in  the  dishes  to 
them.  The  afternoon  was  devoted  to  dress,  and  the  evening 
to  cards.  Their  faces  were  daily  brightened  by  a  new  coat 


48  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

of  paint  (an  almost  universal  practice  among  the  Greek 
ladies),  and  one  of  them,  who  was  a  widow  for  the  second 
time,  was  confined  to  her  room  two  days  every  fortnight, 
by  an  illness,  from  which  she  always  recovered  with  an 
astonishingly  jet-black  head  of  hair. 

Our  intercourse,  however,  was  mainly  wTith  the  foreign 
residents,  and  our  Greek  acquaintances  were  made,  for  the 
most  part,  at  their  houses.  The  latter  have  the  reputation 
of  being  rather  clannish,  and  do  not  open  their  doors  readily 
to  strangers,  though  Mr.  Hill,  Dr.  King,  and  others  who 
have  resided  in  Athens  for  many  years,  are  on  intimate 
social  terms  with  many  Greek  families.  Whatever  the 
cause  may  be,  there  is  certainly  more  reserve  exhibited 
towards  foreigners  than  in  most  other  countries  in  Europe. 
The  contrast  with  Sweden  and  Norway,  in  this  respect,  is 
very  great.  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  number  of  Greek 
gentlemen,  but  very  few  of  them  asked  me  to  visit  them  at 
their  houses. 

There  is  nothing  particularly  Greek  in  the  physiognomy 
of  Athens.  The  houses  of  the  better  sort  are  German  in 
outward  appearance,  while  the  poorer  dwellings  resemble 
those  of  the  Italian  villages.  A  few  squat,  ancient  churches, 
which  have  a  mellow  flavor  of  the  Lower  Empire,  remain 
here  and  there,  and  the  new  ones  are  likewise  Byzantine, 
but  of  a  plainer  and  less  picturesque  stamp.  The  only 
modern  building  which  has  any  pretensions  to  architectural 
beauty  is  the  University.  It  is  a  low  structure,  well-pro 
portioned,  and  with  an  inclosed  portico  of  Pentelican  mar 
ble,  the  pillars  of  which  are  finely  relieved  against  the  soft 
neutral-orange  stain  of  the  inner  wall.  The  old  Turkish 


WINTER    LIFE    IN    ATHENS.  49 

town  was  built  close  against  the  foot  of  the  Acropolis,  on 
the  northern  side.  Scarcely  a  single  building  was  left  stand 
ing  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  and  only  a  mosque  or 
two  (now  appropriated  to  other  uses)  remain  in  anything 
like  their  former  state.  The  new  town  has  stretched  itself 
northward  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Lycabettus,  and  north 
westward  across  the  plain  toward  Colonos.  For  some 
years,  apparently,  nothing  was  done  toward  regulating  and 
improving  the  streets,  and  they  present  the  same  tangled 
labyrinth  as  in  most  Oriental  towns.  The  newer  portions 
of  the  city,  however,  are  well  laid  out,  with  broad,  hand 
some  streets,  and  spacious  main  avenues,  converging  to  the 
palace  as  a  centre.  The  city  is  intersected  by  two  principal 
thoroughfares — Eolus  street,  which  starts  from  the  Temple 
of  the  Winds,  at  the  foot  of  the  Acropolis,  and  takes  a 
straight  course  through  the  city  to  the  plain  of  the  Cephis- 
sus,  and  Hermes  street,  commencing  in  the  middle  of  the 
square  in  front  of  the  palace,  and  running  south-westward 
to  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  the  Temple  of  Theseus 
stands.  The  course  of  the  latter  street  is  broken  in  one 
place  by  an  ancient  church,  around  which  it  diverges  in  two 
arms,  leaving  the  old,  brown,  charmingly-picturesque  little 
building  standing  like  an  island  in  the  midst.  Above  this 
interruption,  its  appearance,  with  the  long  white  front  of 
the  king's  palace  closing  the  ascending  vista,  is  astonishingly 
like  that  of  the  Carl-Johansgade^  in  Christiania.  Athens 
is  a  little  smaller  than  the  latter  capital,  having  at  present 
about  30,000  inhabitants.  It  would  be  interesting  to  insti 
tute  a  series  of  comparisons  between  Norway  and  Greece, 
both  new  nations  of  nearly  equal  age,  population,  and 

3 


50  TRAVELS    IX    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

resources,  but  peopled  with  races  of  very  different  blood 
and  character. 

•  Except  during  the  severely  cold  weather,  Athens  is  as 
lively  a  town  as  may  be.  One-fourth  of  the  inhabitants,  I 
should  say,  are  always  in  the  streets,  and  many  of  the 
mechanics  work,  as  is  common  in  the  Orient,  in  open  shops. 
The  coffee-houses  of  Beautiful  Greece,  the  Orient,  Olympus, 
Mare,  &c.,  are  always  thronged,  and  every  afternoon  crowds 
may  be  seen  on  the  Patissia  Road — a  continuation  of  Eolus 
street — where  the  King  and  Queen  take  their  daily  exer 
cise  on  horseback.  The  national  costume,  both  male  and 
female,  is  gradually  falling  into  disuse  in  the  cities,  although 
it  is  still  universal  in  the  country.  The  islanders  adhere  to 
their  hideous  dress  with  the  greatest  persistence.  With 
sunrise  the  country  people  begin  to  appear  in  the  streets 
with  laden  donkeys  and  donkey-carts,  bringing  wood,  grain, 
vegetables,  and  milk,  which  they  sell  from  house  to  house. 
Every  morning  you  are  awakened  by  the  short,  quick  cry 
of  "  gala!  gala  /"  (milk)  followed,  in  an  hour  or  two,  by  the 
droning  announcement  of  "  anthomiro  kai  masti-i-i-ika  /" 
(mastic  and  orange-flower  water).  Venders  of  bread  and 
coffee-rolls  go  about  with  circular  trays  on  their  heads,  call 
ing  attention  to  their  wares  by  loud  and  long-drawn  cries. 
Later  in  the  day,  peddlers  make  their  appearance,  with  pack 
ages  of  cheap  cotton  stuffs,  cloth,  handkerchiefs,  and  the 
like,  or  baskets  of  pins,  needles,  buttons,  and  tape.  They 
proclaim  loudly  the  character  and  price  of  their  articles, 
the  latter,  of  course,  subject  to  negotiation.  The  same  cus 
tom  prevails  as  in  Turkey,  of  demanding  much  more  than 
the  seller  expects  to  get.  Foreigners  are  generally  fleece:! 


WINTER    LIFE    IX    ATHENS.  51 

a  little  in  the  beginning,  though  much  less  so,  I  Relieve, 
than  in  Italy.  Nevertheless,  I  cannot  quite  endorse  the 
opinion  expressed  by  Lord  Carlisle  and  Professor  Felton 
with  regard  to  Grecian  honesty. 

I  do  not  know  why  travellers  should  have  said  that  there 
are  few  beggars  in  Athens.  In  reality,  there  are  a  great 
many,  both  stationary  and  itinerant.  The  former,  of  both 
sexes  and  all  ages,  sit  at  street  corners  and  on  the  sunny 
side  of  walls,  where  they  keep  up  an  incessant  exhortation 
to  the  passers-by,  to  give  an  alms  for  the  sake  of  their  souls, 
and  those  of  all  their  relatives.  I  noticed  that  the  Greeks 
very  frequently  give  them  a  few  lepta^  sometimes  with  the 
remark  that  it  is  for  their  souls'  sake.  One  of  the  beggars, 
a  blind  old  man,  who  sits  in  Hermes  street,  was  formerly  a 
noted  captain  of  pirates  in  the  Archipelago.  He  lost  his 
sight  by  the  explosion  of  a  package  of  cartridges,  and  now 
subsists  on  charity,  while  many  of  his  comrades  are  rich  and 
move  in  respectable  society.  The  beggars  who  go  from 
house  to  house  are  still  more  numerous,  but  equally  suc 
cessful  in  their  business.  The  Greeks  have  this  prominent 
virtue,  that  they  care  for  their  relatives  who  are  in  want, 
without  considering  it  any  particular  merit. 

The  municipal  government  of  Athens  is  perhaps  a  little 
more  imperfect  than  that  of  New  York.  The  Demarch  is 
appointed  by  the  King,  out  of  three  candidates  chosen  by 
electors,  never  with  regard  to  his  fitness  for  the  office,  but 
from  his  capacity  to  make  a  pliant  tool  of  the  Court.  There 
are  courts  of  justice,  a  police  system,  and  regulations  for 
houses,  streets,  &c. ;  but  the  main  object  of  the  govern 
ment,  as  with  our  own  city — until  recently,  at  least — has 


52  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

been  thfc  good  of  its  members  rather  than  that  of  the  pub 
lic.  The  streets  are  supposed  to  be  lighted,  but  it  is  not 
safe  to  go  beyond  either  of  the  two  principal  thoroughfares 
without  carrying  a  lantern.  There  was  a  lamp  opposite  to 
our  residence,  which  was  usually  lighted  about  midnight, 
after  everybody  had  gone  to  bed.  In  our  street,  which  was 
one  of  the  broadest  and  finest  in  Athens,  various  excavations 
and  levellings  were  carried  on  for  two  months,  and  at  night 
there  was  neither  a  lamp  nor  a  bar  to  prevent  persons  from 
falling  into  the  pits.  The  Queen's  Mistress  of  Ceremonies, 
Baroness  Pluskow,  while  on  her  way  to  a  ball  at  the  Turkish 
Minister's,  was  precipitated,  in  her  carriage,  down  a  perpen 
dicular  bank  three  feet  high,  running  across  the  road.  The 
French  Secretary  of  Legation,  who,  for  safety,  took  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street,  went  down  a  still  higher  bank, 
broke  his  carriage,  bruised  his  limbs,  and  lost  all  his  deco 
rations  in  the  mud.  This  state  of  things  favors  the  thieves 
who  still  abound  in  the  city.  Athens  is  no  longer  besieged 
by  banditti,  as  it  was  about  four  years  ago,  but  burglaries 
and  highway  robberies  are  frequent. 

The  Winter  of  1857-8  was  the  severest  in  the  memory 
of  any  inhabitant.  For  nearly  eight  weeks,  we  had  an 
alternation  of  icy  north-winds  and  snow-storms.  The  ther 
mometer  went  down  to  20°  of  Fahrenheit — a  degree  of 
cold  wrhich  seriously  affected  the  orange  if  not  the  olive 
trees.  Winter  is  never  so  dreary  as  in  those  southern  lands, 
where  you  see  the  palm-tree  rocking  despairingly  in  the 
biting  gale,  and  the  snow  lying  thick  on  the  sunny  fruit  of 
the  orange  groves.  As  for  the  pepper  trees,  with  their 
hanging  tresses  and  their  loose,  misty  foliage,  which  line  the 


WINTER   LIFE   IN   ATHENS.  53 

broad  avenues  radiating  from  the  palace,  they  were  touched 
beyond  recovery.  The  people,  who  could  not  afford  to  pur 
chase  wood  or  charcoal,  at  treble  the  usual  price,  even 
though  they  had  hearths,  which  they  have  not,  suffered 
greatly.  They  crouched  at  home,  in  cellars  and  basements, 
wrapped  in  rough  capotes,  or  hovering  around  a  mangal, 
or  brazier  of  coals — the  usual  substitute  for  a  stove.  From 
Constantinople  we  had  still  worse  accounts.  The  snow  lay 
deep  everywhere  ;  charcoal  sold  at  twelve  piastres  the  oka 
(twenty  cents  a  pound),  and  the  famished  wolves,  descend 
ing  from  the  hills,  devoured  people  almost  at  the  gates  of 
the  city.  In  Smyrna,  Beyrout,  and  Alexandria,  the  Winter 
was  equally  severe,  while  in  Odessa  it  was  mild  and  agreea 
ble,  and  in  St.  Petersburg  there  was  scarcely  snow  enough 
for  sleighing.  All  Northern  Europe  enjoyed  a  Winter  as 
remarkable  for  warmth  as  that  of  the  South  for  its  cold. 
The  line  of  division  seemed  to  be  about  the  parallel  of  lati 
tude  45°.  Whether  this  singular  climatic  phenomenon 
extended  further  eastward,  into  Asia,  I  was  not  able  to  ascer 
tain.  I  was  actually  less  sensitive  to  the  cold  in  Lapland, 
during  the  previous  winter,  with  the  mercury  frozen, 
than  in  Attica,  within  the  belt  of  semi-tropical  productions. 
It  would  be  an  interesting  task  for  some  one  to  collect  and 
compare  the  meteorological  records  of  that  Winter,  with  a 
view  of  ascertaining  the  causes  of  these  singular  fluctua 
tions  of  temperature. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

A     GREEK      BAPTISM. 

DURING  my  residence  in  Athens,  I  neglected  no  oppor 
tunities  of  witnessing  the  ceremonials  of  the  Greek  Church, 
especially  those  which  are  associated  with  the  domestic  life 
of  the  people.  In  the  East,  the  sacraments  of  the  Church 
have  still  their  ancient  significance.  The  people  have  made 
little  or  no  spiritual  progress  in  a  thousand  years,  and 
many  forms,  which,  elsewhere,  are  retained  by  the  force  of 
habit — their  original  meaning  having  long  since  been  lost 
sight  of — are  still  imbued  with  vital  principle.  They  have, 
therefore,  a  special  interest,  as  illustrations  of  the  character 
and  peculiar  phases  of  the  popular  belief. 

The  Rev.  John  H.  Hill — whose  missionary  labors  in 
Greece,  during  the  last  thirty  years,  have  made  his  name 
so  well  known  to  the  Christian  world — befriended  me  in 
every  possible  way,  and  I  was  indebted  to  him  for  the 
means  of  observing  some  features  of  Grecian  life,  not  gene 
rally  accessible  to  the  curious  traveller.  So  when,  one 
windy  morning  in  January,  I  received  a  note  from  him, 


A    GREEK    BAPTISM.  55 

inviting  us  to  attend  the  baptism  of  a  child  in  a  Greek 
family,  I  cast  aside  Grote,  my  Romaic  grammar,  and  the 
unfinished  letters  for  home,  and  set  out  for  the  Mission 
School.  JEolus  street,  down  which  we  walked,  des-erved 
its  name.  Icy  blasts  blew  from  the  heights  of  Parnes  and 
filled  the  city  with  clouds  of  dust.  I  should  like  to  know 
whether  Socrates  and  Alcibiades  walked,  bare-legged  and 
bareheaded,  wrapped  only  in  the  graceful  folds  of  the 
chlamys,  in  such  weather.  The  winter-wind  of  Athens 
bites  through  the  thickest  overcoat ;  and  you  look  at  the 
naked  figures  on  the  temple-friezes  with  a  shudder.  Those 
noble  youths  in  the  Panathenaic  procession  of  the  Parthenon, 
who  bestride  their  broad-necked  Thessalian  horses,  are  very 
fine  to  behold ;  but  give  me  pantaloons  and  thick  stockings, 
rather  than  such  unprotected  anatomy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  accompanied  us  to  the  residence  of  the 
happy  parents,  which  was  in  the  older  part  of  the  city,  near 
the  Temple  of  the  Winds,  and  just  under  the  Acropolis. 
The  mother  was  a  former  pupil  of  the  Mission  School.  She 
and  a  younger  sister  had  been  left  orphans  at  an  early  age, 
and  were  taken  and  educated  by  Mrs.  Hill.  They  inherited 
some  property,  which  was  in  the  charge  of  an  uncle,  who 
had  succeeded  in  making  away  with  the  greater  part  of  it, 
leaving  the  girls  destitute.  About  a  year  and  a  half  pre 
vious,  a  rich  Athenian  bachelor,  of  good  character,  applied 
to  Mr.  Hill  for  a  wife,  desiring  to  marry  a  girl  who  had 
been  educated  in  his  house.  The  elder  of  the  sisters 
attracted  him  by  her  intelligence  and  her  skill  as  a  house 
keeper,  though  she  was  far  from  beautiful,  being  deeply 
pitted  with  the  small-pox.  The  result  was  that  he  married 


50  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

her,  took  her  sister  also  to  live  with  him,  and,  through  law 
suits  which  he  instituted,  recovered  nearly  all  the  property, 
out  of  which  the  two  had  been  defrauded.  This  was  a 
pleasant  history  in  a  wroiid,  and  particularly  in  a  land, 
where  justice  is  not  the  rule ;  and  we  were  glad  of  the 
chance  to  be  present  at  the  baptism  of  the  first  child. 

The  parents  received  us  at  the  door.  We  were  kindly 
welcomed,  as  friends  of  Mr.  Hill,  and  ushered  into  a  room 
where  the  other  guests — all  Greeks,  and  some  thirty  or 
forty  in  number — were  already  assembled.  It  was  an 
Athenian  room,  without  stove  or  fire-place,  and  warmed 
only  with  a  brazier  of  coals.  I  therefore  retained  my  over 
coat,  and  found  it  still  cold  enough.  Everything  was  in 
readiness  for  the  ceremony,  and  the  family  had  evidently 
been  waiting  for  our  arrival. 

The  priest,  a  tall,  vigorous  Macedonian — a  married  man, 
who  had  come  to  Athens  to  educate  his  sons — and  the  dea 
con,  a  very  handsome  young  fellow,  with  dark  olive  com 
plexion,  and  large  languishing  eyes,  now  prepared  them 
selves  by  putting  long  embroidered  collars  over  their 
gowns.  They  then  made  an  altar  of  the  chest  of  drawers, 
by  placing  upon  it  a  picture  of  the  Virgin,  with  lighted 
tapers  on  either  side.  Then  a  small  table  was  brought  into 
the  centre  of  the  room,  as  a  pedestal  for  a  tall,  tri-forked 
wax-candle,  representing  the  Trinity.  A  large  brazen  urn 
(the  baptismal  font)  was  next  carried  in,  the  priest's  son,  a 
boy  of  twelve,  put  coals  and  incense  into  the  censer — and 
the  ceremony  began.  The  godfather,  who  was  a  venera 
ble  old  gentleman,  took  his  station  in  front  of  the  font. 
Beside  him  stood  the  nurse,  holding  the  babe,  a  lively  boy 


A    GREEK    BAPTISM.  57 

of  six  weeks  old.  Neither  of  the  parents  is  allowed  to  be 
present  during  the  ceremony. 

After  some  preliminary  chants  and  crossings — in  the 
latter  of  which  the  whole  company  joined — the  priest  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross  three  times  over  the  infant,  blowing 
in  its  face  each  time.  The  object  of  this  was  to  exorcise 
and  banish  from  its  body  the  evil  spirits,  which  are  sup 
posed  to  be  in  possession  of  it  up  to  the  moment  of  baptism. 
The  godfather  then  took  it  in  his  arms,  and  the  Nicene 
Creed  was  thrice  repeated — once  by  the  deacon,  once  by 
the  priest's  son,  and  once  by  the  godfather.  A  short  liturgy 
followed ;  after  which,  the  latter  pronounced  the  child's 
name — "  Apostolos" — which  he  had  himself  chosen.  It  is 
very  important  that  the  name  should  be  mentioned  to  no 
one,  not  even  the  parents,  until  the  moment  of  baptism  :  it 
must  then  be  spoken  for  the  first  time. 

The  position  of  godfather,  in  Greece,  also  carries  with  it 
a  great  responsibility.  In  the  two  Protestant  sects  which 
still  retain  this  beautiful  custom,  it  is  hardly  more  than  a 
form,  complimentary  to  the  person  who  receives  the  office, 
but  no  longer  carrying  with  it  any  real  obligation.  Among 
the  Greeks,  however,  it  is  a  relation  to  which  belong  legally- 
acknowledged  rights  and  duties,  still  further  protected  by- 
all  the  sanction  which  the  Church  can  confer.  The  god 
father  has  not  only  the  privilege  of  paying  the  baptismal 
expenses,  and  presenting  the  accustomed  mug  and  spoon, 
but  he  stands  thenceforth  in  a  spiritual  relationship  to  the 
family,  which  has  all  the  force  of  a  connexion  by  blood. 
For  instance,  he  is  not  permitted  to  marry  into  the  family 
within  the  limits  of  consanguinity  prohibited  by  the  Church 


58  TRAVELS   IN    GREECE   A XV   RUSSIA.  " 

— which  extend  as  far  as  the  ninth  degree,  whatever  that 
may  be.  He  also  watches  over  the  child  with  paternal  care, 
and  in  certain  cases,  his  authority  transcends  even  that  of 
the  parents. 

The  priest  and  deacon  put  on  embroidered  stoles  (rather 
the  worse  for  wear),  and  the  former  rolled  up  his  sleeves. 
Basins  of  hot  and  cold  water  were  poured  into  the  font,  and 
stirred  together  until  a  proper  temperature  was  obtained. 
The  water  was  then  consecrated  by  holding  the  Bible  over  it, 
blowing  upon  it  to  expel  the  demons,  dividing  it  with  the 
hand  in  the  form  of  a  cross  nine  times  (three  apiece  for  each 
person  of  the  Trinity),  and  various  other  mystical  ceremonies, 
accompanied  with  nasal  chanting.  The  censer — now  puffing 
a  thick  cloud  of  incense,  Avas  swung  toward  the  Virgin,  then 
toward  us,  and  then  the  other  guests  in  succession — each  one 
acknowledging  the  compliment  by  an  inclination  of  the  head. 

A  bottle  of  oil  was  next  produced,  and  underwent  the 
same  process  of  consecration  as  the  water.  The  priest  first 
poured  some  of  it  three  times  into  the  font,  in  the  form  of 
a  cross,  and  then  filled  the  godfather's  hollow  hand,  which 
was  extended  to  receive  it.  The  infant,  having  been, 
meanwhile,  laid  upon  the  floor  and  stripped,  was  taken  up 
like  a  poor,  unconscious,  wriggling  worm  as  it  was,  and 
anointed  by  the  priest  upon  the  forehead,  breast,  elbows, 
knees,  .palms  of  the  hands,  and  soles  of  the  feet.  Each 
lubrication  was  accompanied  by  an  appropriate  blessing, 
until  every  important  part  of  the  body  had  been  redeemed 
from  the  evil  powers.  The  godfather  then  used  the  child 
as  a  towel,  wiping  his  oily  hands  upon  it,  after  which  the 
priest  placed  it  in  the  font. 


A    GREEK    BAPTISM.  59 

The  little  fellow  had  been  yelling  lustily  up  to  this  time, 
but  the  bath  soothed  and  quieted  him.  With  one  hand  the 
priest  poured  water  plentifully  upon  his  head,  then  lifted 
him  out  and  dipped  him  a  second  time.  But  instead  of 
effusion  it  was  this  time  complete  immersion.  Placing  his 
hand  over  the  child's  mouth  and  nose,  he  plunged  it  com 
pletely  under,  three  times  in  succession.  The  Greek  Chris 
tians  skilfully  avoid  the  vexed  question  of  "  sprinkling  or 
immersion,"  on  which  so  much  breath  has  been  vainly 
spent,  by  combining  both  methods.  If  a  child  three  times 
sprinkled  and  three  times  dipped,  is  not  sufficiently  baptized, 
the  ordinance  had  better  be  set  aside. 

The  screaming  and  half-strangled  babe  was  laid  on  a 
warm  cloth ;  and  while  the  nurse  dried  his  body,  the  priest 
cut  four  bits  of  hair  from  the  top  of  his  head  (in  the  form 
of  a  cross,  of  course),  and  threw  them  into  the  font.  A 
gaudy  dress  of  blue  and  white,  with  a  lace  cap — the  god 
father's  gift — was  then  produced,  and  the  priest  proceeded 
to  clothe  the  child.  It  was  an  act  of  great  solemnity, 
accompanied  by  a  short  service,  wherein  each  article 
assumed  a  spiritual  significance.  Thus  :  "  I  endow  thee 
with  the  coat  of  righteousness,''  and  on  went  the  coat ; 
"  I  crown  thee  with  the  cap  of  grace,''  and  he  put  it  on  ; 
"  I  clothe  thee  with  the  shirt  of  faith,"  etc.  This  termi 
nated  the  ceremony,  so  far  as  the  little  Christian  was  cop, 
cerned.  He  was  now  quiet  enough  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes 
afterwards,  I  saw  him  sleeping  the  sleep  of  peace  in  the 
next  room. 

A  hymn  of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  interspersed  with 
the  reading  of  chapters  from  the  Bible,  was  still  necessary, 


CO  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

and  lasted  some  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  longer.  In  order 
to  save  time,  the  priest  commenced  washing  his  hands  in 
the  baptismal  font,  with  a  huge  piece  of  brown  soap, 
chanting  lustily  all  the  while.  He  was  so  little  embarrassed 
by  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  that  he  cried  out :  "  Oh, 
you  fool!"  in  the  middle  of  a  prayer,  to  the  boy  who 
offered  him  a  towel.  This  mixture  of  sacred  and  profane 
things  is  not  unusual  in  the  convenient  Christianity  of  the 
East.  I  once  heard  something  very  similar  to  it  on  board 
an  ocean  steamer,  during  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera, 
The  captain,  who  officiated  at  the  burial  of  a  poor  fireman, 
read  the  service  with  one  eye,  while  he  looked  after  the 
men  with  the  other,  and  the  sacred  text  was  interpolated 
with  his  orders  and  remarks,  in  this  wise :  "  And  now 
(Steady  there !)  we  commit  the  body  of  our  deceased  ship 
mate  to  the  deep.  (Let  go !)  Our  Father,  who  art  in 
Heaven  (Lubberly  done  !),  hallowed  be  Thy  name,"  etc. 

At  last  the  ceremonies  were  over,  much  to  our  satisfac 
tion — for  we  began  to  be  heartily  tired.  The  font  was 
carried  out,  after  the  godfather  had  washed  his  hands  in 
it;  the  bureau,  the  image  of  the  Virgin  being  removed, 
became  a  bureau  again ;  the  Trinitarian  candle  was  extin 
guished,  and  the  old  Bibles,  stoles,  and  collars  tied  up  in  a 
sheet.  The  parents  were  now  allowed  to  enter  the  room, 
and  receive  the  congratulations  of  the  guests.  They 
looked  proud  and  happy,  with  the  knowledge  that  their 
little  Apostolos  was  cleansed  of  the  hereditary  taint  of  sin, 
and  rescued  from  the  power  of  the  devil.  The  father 
produced  a  dish  containing  a  quantity  of  the  smallest 
Greek  silver  coins,  each  pierced  and  tied  with  a  bit  of  blue 


A    GREEK    IJAPTISM.  61 

ribbon,  and  presented  one  to  each  guest,  as  a  souvenir  of 
the  occasion.  Then  followed  the  usual  course  of  refresh 
ments — first,  a  jar  of  jelly,  accompanied  with  glasses  of 
water ;  then,  cakes  and  almond-milk.  In  the  old  families, 
the  jelly  is  often  served  with  a  single  spoon,  which  each 
guest  is  obliged  to  use  in  turn — rather  an  ordeal  to  a 
stranger,  until  he  becomes  accustomed  to  it.  We,  how 
ever,  were  furnished  with  separate  spoons  and  glasses, 
much  to  our  satisfaction. 

By  this  time  the  heavy  canopy  which  stretched  from 
Hymettus  across  to  Parnes,  spanning  the  plain  of  Attica, 
had  broken  into  a  storm  of  mingled  snow  and  rain,  and  the 
solitary  palm  beside  the  Temple  of  the  Winds  wrestled  de 
spairingly  with  the  wintry  gusts.  Snow  upon  palm-trees 
makes  the  same  impression  upon  you  as  gray  hair  upon  the 
head  of  a  child.  We  returned  home  in  a  carriage,  piled 
the  roots  of  olives,  and  the  shaggy,  faun-like  arms  of  grape 
vines  upon  our  expensive  fire,  and  sat  down  again  to  Grote, 
Leake,  Mure,  and  Modern  Greek. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  COURT  OF  KING  OTHO. 

THE  Grecian  Court,  though  rigidly  hedged  about  with  the 
stiffest  German  etiquette,  is  nevertheless  easily  accessible 
to  strangers.  I  therefore  asked  for  a  presentation,  in  order 
that  I  might  attend  the  Winter  balls  at  the  Palace,  which 
furnish  much  the  best  opportunity  of  seeing  the  Greeks  of 
the  present  day.  The  preliminary  formalities  were  easily 
arranged.  Our  Consul,  the  Rev.  Dr.  King,  called  on  the 
Grand  Marshal  of  the  Palace,  Notaras,  one  morning,  and 
the  same  afternoon  I  received  an  invitation  to  the  New- 
Year's  ball. 

As,  according  to  the  etiquette  of  larger  Courts,  which  is 
strictly  copied  in  this  little  one,  a  Consul  cannot  present 
strangers,  this  duty  is  performed  by  the  Grand  Marshal, 
whom,  therefore,  it  was  necessary  that  I  should  previously 
know.  A  company  of  Americans,  some  four  or  five  years 
ago,  made  themselves  ridiculous,  by  asking  for  a  presenta 
tion,  and  then  staying  away  at  the  appointed  hour,  on  the 
childish  plea  that  this  regulation  was  intended  as  a  national 


THE   COURT    OF   KING    OTHO.  63 

insult.  Dr.  King  was  kind  enough  to  accompany  me  to 
the  Palace,  where  we  were  ushered  into  the  Grand 
Marshal's  chamber — a  large,  bare  room,  with  a  table,  sofa, 
and  half-a-dozen  chairs,  scarcely  warmed  by  a  fire  of  olive- 
roots.  Notaras  is  a  large,  heavy  man,  of  about  sixty,  with 
prominent  eyes,  a  broad  face,  and  thick  lips.  He  wore  the 
fustanella,  and  a  jacket  covered  with  silver  embroidery. 
Singularly  enough,  for  a  person  holding  his  office,  he  does 
not  understand  any  language  but  Greek.  He  explained  to 
me,  through  the  medium  of  Dr.  King,  what  was  necessary 
for  me  to  do.  "  Come  to  the  Palace,''  said  he,  "  go  where 
you  see  the  others  go,  and  when  the  King  and  Queen  come 
in,  get  into  the  circle  around  them.  Then,  when  the  time 
for  presentation  arrives,  I  will  do  so,  (making  a  sign  with 
his  hand),  and  you  will  step  forward."  All  this  was  clear 
and  satisfactory,  and  we  departed. 

Dr.  King  had  stated  in  his  note  that  I  had  travelled 
extensively  and  was  the  author  of  some  books.  It  was 
intimated  by  the  Marshal  that  he  would  do  well  to  send  a 
list  of  the  same  to  the  Palace.  At  his  request,  therefore,  I 
furnished  such  a  list,  in  French,  the  purpose  of  which  I 
ascertained  when  the  time  for  presentation  arrived.  I  could 
not  but  wonder  how  much  of  the  reputation  which  an 
author  fancies  he  has  achieved  is  made  up  in  this  way. 
You  meet  with  Dr.  Pitkins  at  a  party,  on  a  steamboat,  or 
anywhere  else.  Somebody  whispers  to  you :  "  He  is  the 
author  of  a  work  on  the  dramatic  poetry  of  the  Tartars." 
By-and-by  you  are  introduced  to  him  :  you  start  a  literary 
topic,  and  soon  take  occasion  to  say,  "  Your  Tartar  studies, 
Dr.  Pitkins,  make  you  an  authority  on  the  subject."  Of 


64  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

course,  the  Dr.  is  delighted  to  find  that  his  fame  has  gone 
before  him,  and,  if  he  accepts  your  invitation  to  call  upon 
you,  will  find  a  copy  of  his  work,  three  pages  of  which  you 
have  read,  conspicuously  displayed  upon  your  parlor-table. 
Now,  I  was  perfectly  aware  that  King  Otho  knew  no  more 
of  me  or  my  books  than  of  the  Cherokee  language,  and  when 
he  said,  "  We  have  heard  of  you  as  a  great  traveller,"  etc.,  I 
was  neither  surprised  nor  flattered,  and  was  polite  enough 
not  to  suggest  whence  his  information  had  been  derived. 

As  the  ordinary  full  dress  of  European  society  is  suf 
ficient  for  admittance  into  the  Palace,  there  was  no  further 
difficulty.  The  company  were  directed  to  assemble  at  a 
quarter  before  nine,  but  as  all  Athens  was  invited,  and  the 
city  furnished  but  one  carriage  to  every  ten  guests,  I  was 
obliged  to  go  early,  so  that  the  same  vehicle  might  be  used 
to  carry  others.  It  was  one  of  the  coldest  and  windiest 
nights  of  the  Winter,  and,  when  the  north  wind  blows, 
Attica  is  as  dreary  as  Lapland.  The  vestibule  of  the 
Palace  is  too  depressed  to  answer  even  the  promise  of  its 
mediocre  exterior,  and  the  staircase,  narrow,  and  with 
grades  of  inconvenient  height — a  single  one  being  too 
little,  and  two  taken  together  too  much  for  the  foot — is  so 
clumsy,  that  one  suspects  that  the  original  plans  of  the 
architect,  who  was  no  less  than  Leo  von  Klenze,  cannot 
have  been  carried  out.  It  is  pitiful  to  see  bad  taste 
embodied  in  Pentelican  marble. 

I  was  therefore  surprised  and  delighted  on  entering  the 
ball-rooms,  which  are  large,  nobly  planned  and  decorated 
with  excellent  taste.  I  have  not  seen,  in  any  of  the  palaces 
of  Europe — not  even  in  the  famous  JVeue  Residenz,  in 


THE    COURT    OF    KING    OTHO.  65 

Munich — apartments  at  the  same  time  so  imposing  and  so 
cheerful  as  these.  There  are  three  in  all,  connected  by 
lofty  Ionic  doorways  of  white  marble,  the  fillets  and 
volutes  of  the  capitals  relieved  by  gilding.  The  length 
and  breadth  of  the  halls  is  proportionate  to  their  height, 
which  is  full  sixty  feet.  The  walls  are  of  scagliola,  with 
an  ornamental  frieze  at  half  their  height,  above  which  they 
are  painted  in  the  Pompeiian  style.  Chromatic  decoration 
is  also  introduced  in  the  sunken  panel-work  of  the  ceiling, 
the  predominant  colors  being  red  and  dead-golden.  The 
general  effect  is  wonderfully  rich  and  harmonious,  without 
being  in  the  least  glaring.  Add  to  this  the  immense  bronze 
chandeliers  and  candelabra,  which  pour  a  flood  of  soft  light 
upon  the  walls  and  inlaid  floors,  and  you  have  a  picture  of 
a  festive  hall,  the  equal  of  which  can  scarcely  be  found 
outside  of  St.  Petersburg.  The  Greeks  are  proud  of  it ; 
but  I  could  not  keep  back  the  reflection,  What  avails  this 
single  flash  of  imperial  splendor,  in  a  land  which  has  not  a 
single  road,  where  there  is  no  permanent  security  for  life 
and  property,  and  whose  treasury  is  hopelessly  bankrupt  ? 
There  were  not  more  than  a  dozen  guests  when  I  arrived, 
and  their  scattered  figures  were  quite  lost  in  the  vast,  bril 
liant  space,  so  that  I  had  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of  compara 
tive  solitude,  which  is  a  thing  to  be  enjoyed  in  such  places. 
One  is  thus  familiarized  to  the  unaccustomed  pomp,  is 
toned  up  to  it  (so  to  speak),  and  ere  long  finds  himself 
comfortably  at  home  and  self-possessed.  Presently,  how 
ever,  a  full  stream  poured  into  the  main  hall — a  tide  of 
flashing,  glittering,  picturesque  life,  a  mingling  of  the 
heroic  and  the  common-place,  of  the  semi-barbaric  and  the 


66  TRAVELS    IX    GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

super-civilized,  which  is  the  most  striking  feature  of 
Grecian  society,  and  of  course  is  exhibited  in  the  broadest 
light  at  a  Court  Ball.  There  were  Greeks  in  the  simple 
national  costume,  a  sober-colored  jacket  and  leggings,  of 
cloth  or  velvet,  embroidered  with  silk,  red  fez,  and  white 
fustanella ;  gaudy  palikars,  in  the  same  dress,  but  of  crim 
son,  blazing  with  gold ;  diplomatic  gentlemen,  in  the  uni 
forms  of  their  various  courts,  glaring  but  inelegant,  with 
the  exception  of  the  English  and  French ;  ministers  with 
blue  ribbons  and  a  multitude  of  orders ;  military  and  naval 
officers,  Greek,  English,  and  French ;  old  captains  of  the 
war  of  independence,  with  wild  hair  streaming  down  their 
backs ;  beautiful  Greek  girls,  national  upwards  from  the 
waist,  and  French  downwards ;  Hydriote  and  Spetziote 
women  with  their  heads  bound  up  in  spangled  handker 
chiefs  ;  islanders  in  their  hideous  dark-blue  or  green  baggy 
trowsers ;  fine  European  ladies  in  the  latest  Parisian  toilet ; 
and  lastly,  some  individuals,  like  myself,  in  the  ordinary 
black  and  white,  who  all  look  as  if  they  had  just  dropped 
the  napkins  from  their  arms. 

I  saw  at  once  that  modern  conventionalities  would  not 
be  able  to  frigify  such  a  mass  as  was  here  thrown  together, 
and  that  consequently,  the  ball  would  be  more  interesting 
and  enjoyable  than  those  of  most  Courts.  The  old  palikars 
brought  a  refreshing  mountain  air  with  them.  They 
walked  the  inlaid  floors  and  lounged  on  the  damask  divans 
in  as  careless  and  unconstrained  a  way  as  if  these  had  been 
rock  and  heather.  Even  the  Grand  Marshal,  who  now 
made  his  appearance  in  a  jacket  so  covered  with  embroid 
ery  that  he  resembled  a  golden  armadillo,  failed  to  person- 


THE   COURT    OF   KING    OTHO.  67 

ify  the  idea  of  rigid  ceremony.  I  espied  an  acquaintance 
at  last,  a  gentleman  attached  to  the  Royal  service,  who 
began  to  point  out  a  few  of  the  noted  persons  present. 
"Do  you  see  those  two  talking  yonder  ?"  he  asked.  "The 
tall  one,  in  blue  uniform,  is  the  son  of  Marco  Bozzaris,  at 
present  one  of  the  King's  adjutants."  He  was  a  graceful, 
well-made,  strikingly  handsome  man  of  forty-five,  with 
dark  hair  and  moustache,  large  dark  eyes,  and  features  in 
whose  regularly  and  clearly  cut  lines  I  fancied  there  was 
something  of  the  old  Hellenic  type.  "  The  other,"  he  con 
tinued,  "  is  the  Prime  Minister,  Miaulis,  son  of  the  cele 
brated  Hydriote  admiral."  Two  such  names  to  begin  with ! 
Miaulis  is  a  little  man,  with  straight  hair,  prematurely 
gray,  clear,  intelligent  brown  eyes,  a  prominent  nose,  and 
pale  olive  complexion.  "  Do  you  see  the  other  small  man 
yonder?"  asked  my  cicerone.  "What,  the  one  with  a 
little,  sloping  head,  and  monstrous  nose,  who  looks  so 
much  like  a  monkey  ?"  "  Yes,"  said  he  ;  "  that  is  the  son 
of  Colocotronis,  and,  in  spite  of  his  looks,  he  is  not  deficient 
in  cunning  and  natural  ability." 

By  this  time,  at  least  six  or  seven  hundred  persons  were 
assembled,  and  the  hall  was  crowded.  The  masses  of  rich 
color  and  the  gleam  of  gold  and  jewels  harmonized  natu 
rally  with  the  painted  walls,  which  formed  a  proper  frame 
to  this  gay,  tumultuous  picture.  About  nine  o'clock,  there 
was  a  stir  in  the  halls  beyond ;  the  crowd  parted,  and  the 
King  and  Queen,  accompanied  by  the  officers  of  the  court 
and  the  ladies  of  honor,  walked  into  the  centre  of  the  ball 
room.  The  guests  fell  back,  the  foreign  ministers  and  high 
officers  of  state  pressed  forwards,  and  a  highly  dignified 


68  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

circle  of  some  size  was  thus  formed.  The  King  looked 
remarkably  well  in  his  Greek  dress  of  blue  and  silver ;  in 
fact,  I  saw  no  other  costume  so  rich  and  tasteful  as  his. 
The  Queen  wore  a  Parisian  dress,  white  tulle  over  white 
satin,  trimmed  with  roses,  a  coronet  of  pearls,  a  superb 
diamond  necklace,  and  a  crinoline  of  extravagant  diameter. 
She  turned  towards  the  ladies,  who,  seated  in  three  rows, 
occupied  one  side  of  the  ball-room,  while  the  King 
addressed  himself  first  to  Sir  Thomas  Wyse,  and  afterward 
to  the  other  foreign  ministers  in  succession.  After  he  had 
gone  around  the  circle,  he  went  off  to  the  ladies,  and  the 
Queen,  who  had  meanwhile  formed  the  centre  of  a  large 
periphery  of  crinolines,  came  forward  and  saluted  the 
ambassadors.  I  was  standing  beside  some  English  naval 
officers,  who  were  waiting  for  presentation,  and  I  believe 
the  same  reflection  suggested  itself  to  all  of  us — that  there 
can  be  no  greater  bore  than  to  be  obliged  to  address  some 
mechanical  remarks  to  scores  of  persons  in  succession.  To 
make  a  witty,  or  even  a  sensible  remark,  to  every  one  of 
such  a  number,  requires  either  immense  practice  or  an 
astonishing  flexibility  of  intellect.  The  wonder  is,  that  an 
hereditary  monarch,  educated  in  the  life  of  a  court,  should 
retain  any  portion  of  his  natural  sense.  There  is  nothing 
so  paralysing  to  the  mind  as  the  being  obliged  to  talk  con 
tinually  for  the  mere  sake  of  saying  something. 

The  English  officers  were  at  last  summoned  by  Sir  Thomas 
Wyse,  who  stood  by  as  interpreter,  neither  of  them  know 
ing  any  language  but  their  own.  The  conversation  did 
not  last  long,  and,  as  the  officers  informed  me,  consisted 
of  inquiries  as  to  what  part  of  England  they  came  from,  and 


THE    COURT    OF    KING    OTHO.  69 

how  they  liked  Greece.  The  Turkish  Minister  presented 
an  Effendi,  the  Prussian  Minister  a  naval  officer,  and,  the 
golden  armadillo  then  making  the  preconcerted  signal,  I 
stepped  forward  out  of  the  ring.  The  Marshal  had  pro 
bably  stated  that  I  spoke  German,  as  the  King  at  once 
addressed  me  in  that  language.  Pie  is  quite  near-sighted, 
and  thrust  his  head  forward  close  to  my  face,  as  he  spoke. 
He  is  of  medium  height,  forty-two  years  old,  and  has  some 
general  resemblance  to  Jules  Benedict,  the  composer.  His 
head  is  bald  on  the  crown,  but  he  wears  a  large  brown 
moustache,  which  almost  conceals  his  upper  lip.  His  nose 
is  prominent,  his  chin  pointed,  and  his  large,  hazel  eyes 
rather  deeply  set.  The  prominent  expression  of  his  face  is 
amiability,  mixed  with  a  certain  degree  of  irresolution. 
His  complexion  is  pale,  owing  to  long-continued  ill-health, 
and  he  has  an  air  of  weariness  and  sadness  when  his  features 
are  in  repose.  The  throne  of  Hellas  is  evidently  not  an 
easy-chair.  As  a  young  man,  he  must  have  been  hand 
some. 

He  commenced  with  a  compliment,  which — not  knowing 
exactly  how  to  reply  to  it — I  acknowledged  with  a  bow. 
As  he  seemed  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  say  next,  I  took 
the  liberty  of  making  a  remark,  although  this  was  rather  an 
infringement  of  court  etiquette.  The  conversation  once 
started,  he  spoke  very  fluently  and  sensibly,  questioning  me 
particularly  about  the  influence  of  climate,  and  the  method 
I  took  in  order  to  acquire  different  languages.  He  detained 
me  some  eight  or  ten  minutes,  after  which  I  withdrew  into 
the  circle,  to  await  the  Queen's  pleasure.  Presently  she 
sailed  along,  sparkling  with  her  diamonds  and  roses,  and 


70  TRAVELS    IX    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

the  presentations  were  repeated  to  her,  in  the  same  order. 
When  my  turn  came,  she  addressed  me  in  German,  in 
almost  the  same  words  as  the  King.  Her  remarks 
related  principally  to  the  beauty  of  Greece,  and  to  the 
weather,  which  gave  her  occasion  to  state  that  during  the 
t \venty-one  years  of  her  residence  in  Athens,  she  had 
never  known  so  cold  a  winter.  She  is  near  forty  years 
of  age,  rather  under  the  medium  height,  and  inclining  to 
corpulency.  She  is  said  to  have  been  quite  handsome,  even 
so  late  as  five  years  ago,  but  retains  very  little  beauty  now 
except  such  as  belongs  to  robust  health.  Her  face  is  large 
and  heavy,  her  mouth  long,  thin  and  hard,  and  her  eyes,  of 
that  fine  clear  gray  which  is  so  beautiful  in  a  gentle  face, 
express  a  coldly  gracious  condescension.  She  evidently 
never  forgets  that  she  is  a  Queen.  Her  movements  and 
manners  are  certainly  remarkably  graceful  and  self-pos 
sessed,  and  she  is  withal  a  woman  of  will,  energy,  and  ambi 
tion.  I  watched  the  two  narrowly  during  a  part  of  the 
evening,  and  a  hundred  indescribable  little  traits  showed  me 
that  the  amiability  and  kindness  are  all  on  the  King's  side, 
the  pride,  ambition,  and  energy  on  the  Queen's.  Neither 
one  is  the  ruler  required  by  Greece. 

The  ball  opened  with  a  somewhat  stiff  promenade  around 
the  room,  in  which  Sir  Thomas  Wyse  led  off  with  the 
Queen,  the  King  following  with  the  lady  of  one  of  the 
Ministers,  and  after  them  the  other  Ambassadors  and  high 
Government  officials,  each  changing  his  partner  at  every 
completion  of  the  circle.  The  Mistress  of  Ceremonies, 
Baroness  von  Pluskow,  also  figured  in  this  initiatory  pro 
cession.  It  was  odd  enough  to  see,  among  the  gauzy, 


THE  COURT  OF  KING  OTHO.  71 

expansive  phenomena  of  modern  female  costume,  the  figure 
of  a  Hydriote  lady,  in  her  island  dress — an  embroidered 
handkerchief  tied  over  the  head  and  hanging  upon  the 
shoulders,  a  dark,  close-fitting  vest,  without  ornament,  and 
a  straight,  narrow  skirt,  falling  directly  from  the  hips  to  the 
ankles.  At  first  glance,  one  half  suspected  that  a  kitchen- 
maid  had  slipped  into  the  ball-room,  resolved  to  have  a 
little  dancing  before  the  supper-hour  came.  In  itself,  the 
costume  is  very  picturesque  and  becoming,  but  the  rocks 
of  Hydra  suit  it  better  than  these  Pompciian  frescoes.  One 
of  the  Queen's  maids  of  honor  belongs  to  a  noted  Spetziote 
family,  and  wore  the  same  costume ;  but  her  handkerchief 
was  of  yellow  silk,  richly  embroidered  with  gold,  and  the 
skirt  of  her  dress,  of  somewhat  more  ample  dimensions,  was 
of  the  same  material.  She  was  young  and  handsome,  with 
a  remarkably  straight,  classical  profile,  and  was  to  me  one 
of  the  most  striking  figures  in  the  company. 

The  ball  having  now  been  formally  opened,  cotillions 
commenced,  succeeded  by  waltzes  and  mazourkas,  but  no 
polkas.  Nearly  all  the  Greek  ladies  danced,  and  most  of 
the  young  officers,  all  with  much  elegance  and  correctness, 
but  the  only  fustanella  to  be  seen  on  the  floor  was  the 
King's.  A  good  many  of  the  young  palikars  looked  on 
curiously :  the  old  captains  withdrew,  along  with  the  Sena 
tors,  Deputies,  and  many  officers  and  ministers,  to  the 
central  hall,  which  was  well  studded  with  card  tables.  The 
third  hall  had  a  comfortable  divan  around  its  walls,  whereon 
groups,  principally  of  old  men,  gathered  to  talk  scandal  or 
politics,  or  to  get  a  good  chance  at  the  refreshments  as  they 
came  in  through  the  further  doors.  The  space  was  so 


72  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

ample  that  the  company,  large  as  it  was,  did  not  seem  in 
the  least  crowded. 

While  wandering  through  the  throng,  I  came  upon  Sir 
Richard  Church,  the  noble  old  Philhellene,  now  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  Grecian  army.  He  kindly  took  me 
in  charge,  and  for  two  hours  thenceforth  sought  out  all 
the  distinguished  Greeks  who  were  present,  that  I  might 
see  and  speak  to  them.  In  this  way  I  made  the  acquaint 
ance  of  the  brothers  Miaulis,  of  Colocotronis,  of  Psyllas, 
the  President  of  the  Senate,  of  the  sons  of  Admiral  Tom- 
bazi,  and  a  number  of  the  old  revolutionary  heroes.  The 
Minister  Miaulis  speaks  English  very  well.  He  made  par 
ticular  inquiries  concerning  the  latest  American  improve 
ments  in  dock-yards  and  floating  docks,  as  he  was  about 
refitting  the  navy-yard  at  Poros.  I  ventured  to  ask 
whether  he  thought  it  advisable  to  build  up  a  Greek 
navy,  seeing  that  the  country  cannot  possibly  maintain 
one  large  enough  for  even  defensive  operations.  "  The 
only  enemies  we  are  likely  to  meet,''  he  answered,  "are 
Turkey  and  Egypt,  and  in  either  case,  you  must  acknow 
ledge,  the  result  will  not  depend  on  the  number  of  vessels. 
The  Greeks  are  born  sailors,  but  the  Turks  never  can  be 
made  so.  We  ought  at  least  to  be  in  a  position  to  defend 
our  islands."  Even  in  this  case,  however,  the  main  reliance 
of  Greece  ought,  like  our  own,  to  be  upon  her  mercantile 
navy.  Her  commerce  has  grown  up  amazingly,  and,  were 
it  not  for  the  miserable  neglect  of  everything  like  internal 
improvement,  her  forests  would  furnish  shipping  to  any 
extent  required  by  the  needs  or  the  enterprise  of  her  people. 

What  impressed  me  most,  perhaps,  in  this  survey  of 


THE  COURT  OF  KING  OTHO.  73 

Grecian  notabilities,  was  the  striking  contrast  which  I 
found  between  the  heroes  of  the  Revolution  and  some  of 
their  immediate  descendants,  and  the  later  generation  which 
has  crept  into  power  since  Greece  became  free.  I  was 
glad  to  be  able  to  believe,  after  all,  that  the  corruption 
and  misrule  which  have  gone  so  far  to  turn  away  the  sym 
pathies  of  the  world  from  the  young  nation,  are  not  justly 
chargeable  to  the  former — that  honor  and  honesty  existed, 
and  still  exist,  among  the  Greeks.  One  may  be  deceived 
in  the  impression  created  by  a  single  individual,  but  hardly 
in  that  of  .a  whole  class,  and  the  distinction  was  here  too 
broadly  marked  not  to  be  real.  It  was  a  refreshing  thing 
to  turn  from  the  false,  sneaking,  plotting  faces  of  some  of 
the  present  hangers-on  of  the  Court,  to  the  brave,  deter 
mined  heads,  keen,  straightforward  glances,  and  native 
nobility  of  bearing  of  the  old  chieftains.  I  said  as  much 
to  Gen.  Church.  "  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  he,  "  and 
you  are  right.  These  are  good  and  true  men.  I  have 
known  some  of  them  for  thirty  years,  and  have  had  every 
opportunity  of  testing  their  characters."  This  evidence, 
coming  from  a  man  whom  to  see  is  to  trust,  should  be  a 
sufficient  answer  to  those  who  brand  all  Greeks  with  one 
sweeping  sentence  of  condemnation. 

Among  others  to  whom  the  General  introduced  me  was 
an  old  Suliote  chief,  who,  having  lived  in  Corfu  some  years, 
spoke  English  very  well.  He  was  a  tall,  strongly-made 
man,  with  short,  gray  hair,  a  face  deeply  pitted  and  sun 
burnt,  and  eyes  of  splendid  clearness  and  steadiness.  We 
sat  down  together  and  conversed  about  the  Revolution. 
"  Did  you  know  Bozzaris  ?"  I  asked.  "  Certainly,"  said 

4 


74  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

he,  "  we  were  companions  in  arms,  fellow  Suliotes."  As 
General  Church  also  knew  Bozzaris  well,  I  inquired  whether 
he  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  capacity,  or  simply  an 
example  of  reckless  courage.  "  He  was  entirely  unedu 
cated,"  replied  the  General,  "but  nevertheless  his  abilities 
were  certainly  above  the  average  of  men  of  his  class."  In 
front  of  us  stood  an  old  palikar  from  the  Morea,  with  his 
gray  hair  hanging  to  his  waist.  He  was  one  of  the  depu 
tation  sent  to  Munich  in  1832  to  accompany  the  young 
King  Otho  to  Greece.  As  he  stood  in  the  circle  of 
spectators,  looking  grimly  at  the  waltz  in  which  the  King 
took  part,  I  could  not  but  wonder  whether  he  contrasted 
Greece  then,  in  her  season  of  hope,  with  Greece  now, 
twenty-five  years  further  from  the  realization  of  that  hope. 
Perhaps  he  did  not  think  at  all. 

By  one  o'clock,  I  was  sufficiently  tired,  but  it  is  here 
considered  a  serious  violation  of  etiquette  to  leave  before 
three,  the  hour  when  their  Majesties  withdraw.  So  I  left 
the  ball-room,  and  wandering  about  the  long,  cold  corridors 
of  the  palace,  was  attracted  by  the  smell  of  smoke  to  a 
dark,  bare  room,  in  which  some  twenty  or  thirty  of  the 
Greek  guests  were  puffing  at  their  paper  cigars.  Two 
candles,  which  stood  upon  a  table,  were  almost  invisible 
through  the  thick,  blue  cloud.  The  table  was  covered 
with  stumps,  and  the  smokers,  seated  on  some  hard  chairs 
along  the  wall,  were  absorbed  and  silent.  I  lit  a  cigar  and 
so  smoked  away  another  half-hour,  when,  after  having 
walked  in  the  corridor  long  enough  to  air  my  clothes, 
I  returned  to  the  ball-room.  The  final  cotillion,  which 
lasts  about  an  hour,  had  commenced,  and  the  Queen,  who 


THE  COUKT  OF  KING  OTHO.  75 

is  passionately  fond  of  dancing,  now  had  an  opportunity  of 
gratifying  her  taste.  She  was  taken  out  every  set,  and  I 
believe  every  gentleman  on  the  floor  had  the  satisfaction 
of  dancing  with  her  in  turn.  The  Prussian  Minister, 

Baron  von  G ,  the  ugliest  person  in  the  room,  and 

wearing  the  ugliest  costume,  continually  hovered  around 
her,  and,  in  fact,  seemed  to  be  on  the  most  familiar  terms 
with  both  their  Majesties.  This  seemed  to  confirm  what 
I  had  previously  heard,  that,  since  England,  France  and 
Russia  have  mutually  decided  not  to  exercise  their  influence 
any  longer  in  controlling  the  affairs  of  Greece,  Prussia, 
seeing  the  coast  clear,  has  stepped  in,  for  what  reason  no 
one  can  imagine  (since  she  has  no  interest  whatever  in  the 
Grecian  question),  and  endeavors  to  fill  the  place  of 
counsellor. 

At  three  o'clock  the  dancing  ceased,  and  some  of  the 
guests  made  a  rush  for  their  overcoats,  while  others  has 
tened  to  get  a  bowl  of  the  bouillon  which  is  distributed 
at  the  close  of  the  ball.  Refreshments  had  been  frequently 
handed  around  in  the  course  of  the  evening — plentiful,  but 
cheap.  First,  tea ;  then  lemonade  and  almond-milk  ;  then 
small  portions  of  ices,  with  little  sugared  cakes;  and  finally 
hot  rum-punch.  The  servants  were  mostly  in  Greek 
costume,  though  a  few,  who  were  Germans,  wore  the 
Royal  Bavarian  livery.  I  returned  home  on  foot,  in  the 
face  of  a  biting  wind,  which  blew  down  from  the  snowy 
summits  of  Pentelicus  and  Parnes. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

GREEK      FESTIVALS,      RELIGIOUS     AND    CIVIC. 

THE  festivals  of  the  Greek  Church  are  fully  as  numerous, 
if  not  even  more  so,  than  those  of  the  Latin.  About  every 
third  day  is  an  eorti,  or  holy-day  of  some  venerable  unwashed 
saint,  or  company  of  saints,  whose  memory  is  duly  honored 
by  a  general  loafing-spell  of  the  inhabitants.  The  greatest 
benefit  that  could  happen  to  Greece,  and  to  all  Southern 
Europe,  would  be  the  discanonization  of  nine-tenths  of  those 
holy  drones,  who  do  enough  harm  by  sanctifying  indolence, 
to  outweigh  a  thousand  times  the  good  they  may  have 
accomplished  during  their  lives.  God's  Sabbath  is  enough 
for  man's  needs,  and  both  St.  George,  the  Swindler,  and  St. 
Polycarp,  the  Martyr,  have  sufficient  honor  done  them  in 
the  way  of  chapels,  shrines,  candles  and  incense,  to  forego 
the  appropriation  of  certain  days,  on  which  no  one  thinks 
particularly  about  them.  Not  only  are  the  laborers  idle 
and  the  shops  generally  shut,  on  every  one  of  these  festival 
days,  but  the  University,  schools  and  public  offices  are 
closed  also.  The  Greeks  are  very  zealous  professors,  and 


GEEEK   FESTIVALS,    KELIGIOUS    AND   CIVIC.  77 

would  exhibit  much  more  progress  as  a  people,  if  they  did 
not  make  a  mill-stone  of  their  religion,  and  wear  it  around 
their  necks. 

My  Greek  teacher,  who  was  a  student  of  law,  insisted  on 
being  paid  by  the  month,  and  turned  his  agreement  to  pro 
fit  by  rigidly  observing  every  saint's-day.  He  was  indebted 
to  the  lessons  he  gave  me  for  the  means  of  buying  an  over 
coat,  and  always  came  into  my  room  half  frozen  from  his 
fireless  chambers ;  yet,  with  that  inordinate  vanity  which 
characterizes  the  Greeks  of  all  classes,  he  declared  that  he 
was  not  obliged  and  did  not  wish  to  teach,  but  condescended 
to  do  so  for  the  pleasure  of  visiting  me !  Next  door  to  us 
there  was  a  small,  one-story  house,  inhabited  by  a  poor 
family.  The  daughter,  a  girl  of  twelve  or  thirteen,  attended 
the  Arsakeion,  or  Seminary  for  Girls,  a  gift  of  Arsakis  to 
the  Greek  people,  just  across  the  street.  The  ridiculous 
little  chit  must  have  a  servant  to  carry  her  two  books  those 
thirty  paces,  and  we  sometimes  saw  her,  wrhen  the  school 
was  over,  waiting  behind  the  door,  not  daring  to  appear  in 
the  street  with  books  in  her  hand.  Nearly  all  the  girls  who 
came  to  the  Arsakeion  (some  two  hundred  day-scholars) 
were  similarly  attended,  yet  they  were  mostly  from  families 
of  moderate  means. 

New-Year's  Day  (Jan.  13,  New  Style)  wras  celebrated 
very  much  as  it  is  with  us,  by  a  mutual  interchange  of  visits. 
In  the  morning,  however,  there  was  a  Te  Deum  at  the 
Church  of  St.  Irene,  which  was  attended  by  the  King,  Queen, 
and  all  the  principal  person  ages  connected  with  the  Govern 
ment.  'This  is  one  of  the  four  or  five  occasions  when  their 
Majesties — one  of  whom  is  a  Catholic,  and  the  other  a  Pro- 


78  TBAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

testant — are  obliged  to  attend  Greek  service.  The  King 
keeps  a  Jesuit  priest  and  the  Queen  a  Lutheran  clergyman 
from  Holstein,  both  of  whom  perform  service  in  the  Royal 
Chapel,  but  at  different  hours.  I  went  to  hear  the  latter, 
and  found  a  small  congregation,  composed  exclusively  of 
Germans.  The  English  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Hill  is  minis 
ter — the  only  instance,  I  believe,  in  which  an  American 
clergyman  has  been  appointed  Chaplain  to  an  English  Lega 
tion — is  a  solid  building,  of  the  plainest  kind  of  Gothic, 
which  looks  as  if  it  had  strayed  away  from  some  new  rail 
road  town  in  England.  The  Russians  also  have  a  very  neat 
Byzantine  chapel,  with  detached  belfry.  The  fine  singing 
of  the  choristers,  who  are  mostly  boys,  attracts  many  per 
sons.  The  Russians  have  had  taste  enough  to  harmonize 
and  thoroughly  reform  the  chants  of  their  Church,  yet 
without  destroying  their  solemn  and  antique  quaiutness. 
The  elements  of  the  music  are  retained,  but  reduced  to 
order  and  made  effective ;  whereas,  in  the  Greek  Church, 
the  chanting  is  of  a  character  acceptable  neither  to  men  nor 
angels.  An  attempt  has  recently  been  made  here,  also,  to 
substitute  harmony  for  chaotic  discord;  but  the  Patriarch, 
knowing  how  much  of  the  power  of  the  Church  depends  on 
its  strict  adherence  to  superannuated  forms,  refuses  to  sanc 
tion  any  such  innovation. 

To  return  to  the  Te  Deum,  the  tedium  of  which  I 
endured  for  half  an  hour.  The  King  and  Queen,  who  arrived 
in  their  state  coach  and  six,  were  received  at  the  door  of  the 
church  by  the  Metropolitan,  or  Archbishop  of  Athens,  a 
venerable  old  man  with  flowing  gray  beard,  wearing  a  mag 
nificent  stole  of  crimson  embroidered  with  gold,  and  a  cap 


GREEK    FESTIVALS,    RELIGIOUS    AND    CIVIC.  79 

shaped  like  a  pumpkin  with  one  end  sliced  off.  Behind 
him  were  a  retinue  of  priests,  who,  with  their  mild  faces, 
long  beards,  and  flowing  hair,  resembled  the  Apostles  some 
what,  though  their  robes  were  of  decidedly  gayer  color  and 
finer  texture.  After  the  Royal  pair,  came  a  mass  of  Minis 
ters,  Generals,  Judges,  the  Senate  and  Assembly,  and 
others,  in  uniforms,  ribbons  and  orders,  or  palikar  costume, 
filling  up  the  main  aisle,  which  had  been  kept  clear  for 
them.  The  King  and  Queen  were  conducted  to  a  da!s  in 
front  of  the  altar,  where  they  remained  standing  during 
the  ceremony.  On  this  occasion,  the  latter  wore  the  Greek 
dress,  which,  though  she  had  slightly  outgrown  it,  became 
her  very  well.  The  red  cap  set  off  to  advantage  her  rich, 
dark-brown  hair,  and  her  handsome  shoulders  showed  yet 
fairer  above  the  jacket  of  crimson  velvet,  embroidered  with 
gold.  I  noticed  that  the  King  crossed  himself  at  the  pro 
per  times,  while  the  expression  of  the  Queen's  face  was 
rather  that  of  repressed  mirth.  Indeed,  with  all  proper 
reverence  for  the  feeling  of  reverence  in  others — with  no 
disposition  to  make  light  of  sincere  religious  feeling,  how 
ever  expressed — it  was  almost  impossible  for  me  not  to 
smile,  or  stop  my  ears,  at  the  tremendous  nasal  brayings 
which  now  and  then  shook  the  church.  The  bulls  of 
Bashan,  bellowing  in  concert,  would  have  made  music,  com 
pared  to  it.  Again  I  say,  Ictinus  worshipped  God  better, 
when  he  built  the  Parthenon. 

The  festival  of  Epiphany  is  celebrated  in  a  peculiar 
manner.  The  Archbishop  repairs  to  the  Pira3us,  and,  after 
appropriate  services  in  the  church,  walks  with  the  priests 
in  solemn  procession  to  the  harbor,  where,  with  certain 


80  TRAVELS   IX    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

nasal  exclamations,  he  casts  a  cross  into  the  sea.  This  is 
called  the  Blessing  of  the  Waters,  and  is  supposed  to  be  of 
great  advantage  to  vessels,  in  preventing  storms  and  ship 
wrecks.  A  number  of  sailors,  who  are  at  hand  watching  the 
moment,  plunge  after  the  cross.  The  lucky  finder  takes  it 
to  the  Palace,  where  he  receives  a  present  from  the  King. 
At  V6lo,  in  Thessaly,  the  same  ceremony  is  performed, 
with  the  addition,  that,  by  a  special  miracle,  the  waters  of 
the  sea  become  perfectly  sweet,  and  are  only  restored  to 
saltness  when  the  cross  touches  them.  Of  course,  no  one 
is  heretic  enough  to  disclose  a  doubting  spirit,  by  tasting 
the  water.  The  Greeks  also  fast  during  three  days  at  this 
time.  At  other  periods,  besides  Lent,  there  are  partial 
fasts :  some  days,  they  can  eat  fowl,  but  not  flesh ;  others, 
oil  and  olives,  but  not  fowl.  In  fact,  the  kitchen  occupies 
as  important  a  place  as  the  Church,  in  the  observance  of 
the  Greek  Faith.  The  stomach  and  the  soul  have  a  singu 
lar  sympathy,  and  salvation  is  attained  not  more  by  prayers 
than  by  an  orthodox  diet. 

After  Epiphany  came  the  festival  of  the  Three  Hier. 
archs — St.  Gregory,  St.  Basil,  and  St.  Chrysostom.  This 
is  also  celebrated  by  loafing,  as  well  as  by  homilies  in  the 
Churches.  I  did  not  attend  any  of  these,  as  I  was  not  suf 
ficiently  advanced  in  the  language  to  profit  by  them.  The 
Greek  Church,  however,  unlike  the  Roman,  is  better  in  its 
creed  than  in  its  forms,  and  its  clergy,  notwithstanding 
their  ignorance,  have  a  much  higher  moral  character  than 
the  priests  of  Spain  and  Italy.  As  they  are  allowed  to 
marry,  they  are  saved  from  the  scandalous  excesses  com 
mon  to  the  latter.  The  absence  of  the  doctrine  of  Purga- 


GKEEK   FESTIVALS,    EELIGIOUS    AND    CIVIC.  81 

tory  also  takes  away  from  them  an  opportunity  of  much 
pious  extortion.  The  Church,  shorn  of  the  monstrous 
excrescences  of  its  forms,  would  differ  very  little  from  that 
of  England.  A  proposal,  on  the  part  of  the  latter,  to 
enter  into  Christian  fellowship  with  it,  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  was  only  prevented  by  the  difference  of  doctrine 
on  the  subject  of  the  Eucharist. 

Towards  the  close  of  January,  the  King  and  Queen 
visited  Chalcis,  in  Euboea,  whither  they  went  to  celebrate 
the  completion  of  a  channel  for  vessels,  with  a  drawbridge, 
through  the  Evripean  Strait.  This  is  a  work  which  should 
have  been  done  twenty  years  ago,  but — better  late  than 
never.  A  furious  storm  came  on,  the  snow  fell  two  feet 
deep,  the  house  in  which  they  were  lodged  took  fire,  the 
Queen  was  obliged  to  sleep  in  her  robes  of  state,  and  the 
King  came  back  with  a  fever.  Nothing  less  than  being 
blown  up  by  an  exploding  powder-mill  could  shake  the 
Queen's  constitution.  She  is  capable  of  heading  an  expe 
dition  to  the  North  Pole. 

In  February  there  was  an  extra  festival  week,  to  cele 
brate  the  King's  Jubilceum,  or  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of 
his  landing  in  Greece.  The  first  suggestion  of  this  cele 
bration  came,  it  is  generally  understood,  from  the  Court, 
and  the  Legislative  Assembly,  which  has  become  merely 
an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  Crown,  immediately 
voted  the  requisite  funds.  Two  hundred  thousand  drachmas 
(833,333)  were  thus  appropriated  from  an  impoverished 
treasury  in  a  land  where  the  commonest  means  of  commu 
nication  fail.  A  member  of  the  House  of  Deputies  said 

to  me  that,  to  his  certain  knowledge,  every  member  of  the 

4* 


82  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

House  was  opposed  to  such  a  grant — and  yet  there  was  a 
unanimous  vote  in  its  favor.  In  the  Senate  there  was 
undoubtedly  a  large  majority  against  it,  but  no  member 
opened  his  mouth  except  to  vote  for  it.  "  How  is  it,"  I 
asked  a  gentleman  who  has  been  living  in  Athens  for  some 
years,  "  that  no  one  dares  to  oppose  the  Crown  ?"  "  It  is 
interest,"  he  replied,  "  and  the  fact  that  every  appointment 
is  actually  in  the  King's  hands.  If  the  Opposition  member 
holds  no  office  himself,  he  has  relatives  or  friends  who  do, 
and  all  such  would  immediately  lose  their  places."  The 
spirit  of  office-seeking  is  quite  as  prevalent  in  Greece  as  in 
the  United  States.  With  us,  it  manifests  itself  in  suf 
ficiently  mean  and  grovelling  forms,  but  in  that  little  coun 
try  it  has  undermined  everything  like  independence  of 
political  action. 

The  festival  was  to  have  been  held  at  Kauplia,  where  the 
King  first  landed,  and,  for  a  fortnight  before  the  day,  the 
little  town  was  astir  with  preparations.  Snow  lay  nearly 
two  feet  deep  upon  the  plain  of  Argos,  the  wind  blew 
uninterruptedly  from  the  north,  and  there  was  no  prospect 
of  comfortable  quarters  in  the  fireless  Greek  houses; 
nevertheless,  as  deputations  were  expected  from  all  parts 
of  the  Morea,  it  was  a  great  chance  to  see  the  different 
Greek  clans  assembled  together,  and  we  made  arrange 
ments  to  go  with  the  crowd.  The  fever,  however,  wThich 
the  King  caught  at  Chalcis,  finally  changed  the  programme. 
The  physicians  dissuaded  him  from  going ;  the  Queen,  who 
did  not  relish  the  idea  of  sleeping  again  in  her  state  robes, 
sided  with  them,  and  five  days  before  the  appointed  time 
he  gave  way  under  the  combined  pressure.  All  tho 


GREEK   FESTIVALS,    RELIGIOUS    AND    CIVIC.  83 

money  spent  at  Nauplia  was  therefore  thrown  away, 
except  such  as  had  been  employed  in  making  the  streets 
practicable  for  carriages.  The  Royal  household  and  equi 
pages,  which  had  all  been  forwarded  in  steamers,  had  to 
be  brought  back  in  haste.  Preparations  were  commenced 
anew  in  Athens,  giving  us  an  idea  of  the  artistic  talents  of 
the  Greeks,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  previous  appro 
priations  had  been  employed  at  Kauplia. 

First  of  all,  the  intersection  of  Hermes  and  Eolus  streets, 
the  very  busiest  spot  in  the  city,  was  barred  against  the 
public.  By  employing  carpenters  day  and  night,  an  arch 
of  triumph,  with  four  faces,  was  at  length  raised,  covered 
with  white  muslin  and  painted  in  imitation  of  marble.  It 
was  a  little  out  of  line,  and  when  the  sun  shone  the  inte 
rior  scaffolding  showed  through  the  thin  covering ;  but  by 
night,  when  it  was  decorated  with  banners  and  lamps,  the 
effect  was  not  so  bad.  Next,  the  sidewalks  were  broken 
up  in  Hermes  street,  holes  dug  on  both  sides  and  a  range 
of  wooden  frames  about  twelve  feet  high,  planted  all  the 
way  to  the  palace.  These  frames,  being  circular,  and 
covered  with  white  muslin,  puckered  a  little  to  represent 
flutings,  were  called  Doric  columns.  Some  of  them  were 
bound  with  blue  ribbons ;  some  were  upright,  and  some 
leaned  to  one  side  or  the  other,  while  the  spaces  between 
them,  though  sufficiently  irregular,  failed  to  produce  the 
harmonious  effect  of  the  studied  irregularities  of  the  Par 
thenon.  When  this  grotesque  colonnade  was  completed,  a 
shield,  containing  the  portrait  of  some  revolutionary  hero 
or  distinguished  Philhellene,  was  placed  upon  each  column, 
all  of  which  were  then  bound  one  to  another  by  garlands 


84  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

more  withered  than  green.  The  portraits  were  curiously 
painted  in  snuff-color  on  a  blue  ground.  Byron  and 
Cochrane  would  not  have  been  recognised  by  their  nearest 
friends.  The  effect  of  this  colonnade  was  in  the  highest 
degree  tawdry  and  shabby,  especially  when  the  wind  got 
under  the  muslin  and  bulged  out  the  Doric  columns  in  the 
most  absurd  way.  On  each  side  of  the  Church  of  St.  Irene 
stood  three  arches  of  scaffolding,  covered  in  like  manner, 
the  piers  between  them  being  of  blue  muslin,  over  which 
were  drawn  strings  of  white  tape,  to  represent  flutings. 
Ancient  and  Modern  Greece !  was  my  involuntary  thought, 
as  I  looked  on  these  flapping  calicoes,  and  then  up  to  the 
majestic  remnant  of  the  Parthenon,  visible  over  the  wall 
of  the  Acropolis. 

By  Saturday  morning,  all  the  preparations,  which,  having 
been  ordered  by  the  Court  and  paid  for  by  the  Government, 
were  supposed  to  represent  an  indefinite  amount  of  popular 
joy,  wrere  completed.  They  reminded  me  of  a  little  cir 
cumstance  which  occurred  on  Jenny  Lind's  first  landing  in 
New  York  ;  and,  as  Mr.  Barnum  has  told  many  worse 
things  of  himself,  I  may  tell  this.  I  was  standing  on  the 
paddle-box  of  the  Atlantic,  near  the  great  showman,  as  we 
approached  Canal-street  wharf,  on  which  was  erected  a 
large  triumphal  arch  of  evergreens,  with  the  Swedish  flag 
floating  over  it.  "  Mr.  Barnum,"  I  asked,  "  who  put  that 
up  ?"  "  An  enthusiastic  public,  Sir,"  he  replied  with  great 
gravity,  and  a  peculiar  twinkle  of  his  left  eye.  Here,  how 
ever,  I  noticed  three  or  four  private  decorations,  but  of  the 
rudest  kind.  The  public  was  evidently  pleased,  for  the 
Greeks  have  a  childish  delight  in  flags,  music,  fireworks, 


GREEK    FESTIVALS,    RELIGIOUS   AND    CIVIC.  85 

and  the  like.  As  the  Carnival  Week  was  to  commence  the 
next  day,  masks  already  began  to  appear  in  the  street,  and 
the  hilarity  of  the  religious  festival  lent  its  character  to  the 
political  one.  A  few  days  before,  the  King's  brother, 
Prince  Adalbert  of  Bavaria,  arrived  on  a  visit  of  congra 
tulation,  accompanied  by  Maurer,  one  of  the  Bavarian 
Regents  who  managed  Greece  during  the  King's  minority. 
Austria  also  sent  a  deputation,  consisting  of  Lieut.  Field- 
Marshal  Farr,  and  the  sons  of  Prince  Metternich  and 
Baron  Prokesch-Osten,  to  congratulate  the  King.  These 
visits,  together  with  the  arrival  of  English,  French,  Russian 
and  Dutch  vessels-of-war  at  the  Pira3us,  gave  an  unusual 
dash  and  brilliancy  to  Athenian  life. 

The  ceremonies  consisted  of  a  Te  Deum  at  the  church  in 
the  morning,  official  visits  of  congratulation  afterwards  at 
the  palace,  and  a  grand  state  ball  in  the  evening.  As  we 
had  already  heard  one  Te  Deum  on  New-Year's  Day,  and 
had  no  wish  to  endure  the  crowd  and  the  chanting  a 
second  time,  we  betook  ourselves  to  Hermes  street,  and 
found  a  convenient  place  to  see  the  cortege,  in  a  gap 
between  two  companies  of  soldiers.  At  ten  o'clock,  the 
firing  of  cannon  and  the  blast  of  trumpets  announced  that 
the  King  had  left  the  palace.  Presently,  a  mounted  officer 
appeared,  cantering  lightly  down  the  street,  and  followed 
by  half-a-dozen  wild-looking  mountaineers,  in  their  coarse 
white  woollen  dresses,  bare-headed,  and  with  long  hair 
streaming  in  the  wind.  As  they  ran  and  leaped  along, 
turning  back  now  and  then,  they  were  picturesque  enough 
to  pass  for  a  company  of  satyrs  dancing  before  the  chariot 
of  Bacchus.  After  them  came  another  company  nearly  as 


86  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE    AND   RUSSIA. 

wild,  but  bearing  large  blue  and  white  silken  banners,  with 
various  inscriptions  and  devices,  and  running  at  full  speed. 
These,  I  was  told,  were  the  representatives  of  the  various 
trades,  bearing  the  banners  of  their  guilds.  The  Royal 
Carriage,  which  now  appeared,  was  surrounded  by  a  dozen 
more  of  them — rough,  stalwart,  bare-headed  fellows,  with 
flashing  eyes,  and  hair  that  tossed  in  the  wind  as  they 
sprang.  They  gave  life  and  character  to  the  spectacle, 
which  would  have  been  a  frigid  affair  without  them. 

The  King's  appearance  was  the  signal  for  a  general  cry 
of  "  Zito  /"  (vive,  or  hurrah !)  He  looked  happy  and 
excited,  and  his  pale  face  was  pleasantly  flushed  as  he 
acknowledged  the  greetings.  The  Queen  was  all  conde 
scension,  as  usual.  On  the  front  seat  sat  Prince  Adalbert, 
a  burly,  red-faced  fellow,  with  the  air  and  expression  of  a 
prosperous  brewer.  He  contrasted  unfavorably  with  the 
King,  and  the  Greeks  already  disliked  him.  If  he  had  any 
pretensions  to  the  crown  of  Greece,  his  visit  at  that  time 
was  unfortunate.  The  Ministers,  Generals,  Foreign  Ambas 
sadors,  and  other  dignitaries,  followed  in  a  long  procession, 
which  was  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  passing.  We 
afterwards  went  to  the  Palace,  and  witnessed  the  return,  in 
which  the  countrymen  and  the  tradesmen  with  their  banners 
were  the  most  conspicuous  objects.  There  was,  however, 
very  spontaneous  and  hearty  cheering  from  the  thousands 
assembled,  when  the  King  came  out  on  the  balcony. 
Various  official  personages  were  cheered  as  they  arrived 
to  pay  their  respects,  anl  it  was  perhaps  a  significant  sign 
that  the  loudest  zitos  were  for  the  Russian  Minister. 

I  attended  the  ball   in  the  evening,  which  was  but  a 


GREEK    FESTIVALS,    RELIGIOUS    AND    CIVIC.  87 

repetition  of  the  one  I  have  already  described.  The  next 
day,  there  was  a  great  gathering  at  the  Temple  of  Theseus, 
where  the  multitude  were  regaled  with  a  hundred  and  fifty 
roasted  sheep,  several  hogsheads  of  wine,  and  cart-loads  of 
bread  and  onions.  As  we  had  not  been  informed  of  the 
hour,  the  dinner  was  over  before  we  reached  the  spot,  and 
I  am  indebted  for  a  description  of  it  to  the  King  himself, 
who  described  it  to  me  with  evident  pleasure,  at  a  ball  two 
days  later.  Among  other  incidents,  a  peasant,  more  than 
a  hundred  years  old,  appeared  before  the  King  and  Queen, 
drank  their  healths  out  of  a  big  bottle  of  wine,  and  danced 
the  Romaika  before  them  with  a  good  deal  of  spirit. 
While  we  were  there,  the  barrels  were  on  tap,  and  the 
tradesmen  were  dancing  around  their  banners;  but,  out  of 
five  thousand  people,  I  did  not  see  ten  who  were  intoxi 
cated.  I  believe  the  Greeks  to  be  the  soberest  Christians 
in  the  world. 

Three  days  afterwards  there  was  a  select  ball  at  the 
Palace,  but  here  the  Grecian  element  was  less  conspicuous, 
the  foreign  guests  receiving  the  preference.  Then  the 
Demarch  of  Athens  gave  a  grand  ball  to  the  King  and 
Queen,  in  the  Theatre.  It  was  a  frightful  jam,  more  than 
a  thousand  persons  being  crammed  into  the  little  building. 
I  endured  it  for  about  an  hour,  and  then  left,  to  save  my 
ribs  and  lungs.  Finally,  on  the  evening  of  the  seventh  day, 
there  was  a  brilliant  display  of  fireworks  from  the  open 
space  in  front  of  the  palace,  winding  up  with  a  wild 
Romaic  dance  by  soldiers  holding  burning  blue-lights  in 
their  hands.  In  appearance,  in  sound,  and  in  smell,  the 
spectacle  was  absolutely  infernal. 


88  TEAVELS   IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

On  the  25th  of  January,  Sir  Thomas  Wyse,  the  English 
Minister,  gave  a  grand  ball,  in  honor  of  the  Princess 
Royal's  marriage.  All  the  high  dignitaries,  short  of  roy 
alty,  were  there,  with  more  female  beauty  than  I  have  seen 
gathered  together  for  many  a  day.  There  were  no  Phi- 
dian  faces,  no  pure  antique  profiles,  nothing  even  so  sweet 
and  so  stately  as  the  caryatides  of  the  Erechtheion,  but 
superb  hair,  glorious  dark  eyes,  fringed  by  long  lashes, 
ripely-curved  Southern  mouths,  and  complexions  varying 
from  the  clear  tint  of  sun-stained  marble  to  the  perfect 
white  and  red  of  Circassia.  Conspicuous  among  the 
Greek  girls  were  Photine  Mavromikhali,  grand-daughter 
of  old  Petron  Bey,  a  Spartan  beauty,  tall,  proud  and  state 
ly,  and  Miss  Black,  daughter  of  the  Maid  of  Athens.  I 
was  talking,  as  I  supposed,  to  a  young  Hydriote  girl,  with 
the  sweetest  Madonna  face  tied  up  in  her  embroidered 
handkerchief,  but  afterwards  learned  that  she  had  been  a 
widow  for  five  years  past.  Her  mother,  who  was  almost 
equally  beautiful,  did  not  appear  to  be  ten  years  older. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

AN     EXCURSION     TO     CKETE. 

AFTEK  waiting  a  month  for  a  cessation  of  the  cold  and 
stormy  weather,  there  seemed  to  be  at  last  some  promise 
of  a  change  for  the  better,  and  I  made  preparations  to 
leave  Athens  for  a  few  weeks.  The  festivities  connected 
with  the  King's  Jubikeum  closed  on  the  evening  of  the  12th 
of  February  ;  the  frolics  of  the  Carnival  had  become  worn 
out  and  spiritless,  and  but  two  more  days  intervened  before 
the  commencement  of  Lent,  during  which  time  the  Greeks 
do  real  penance,  and  are  melancholy  from  bodily,  not  from 
spiritual  causes.  Lent  in  Athens  is  inaugurated  by  a  uni 
versal  gathering  of  the  people  before  the  columns  of  the 
temple  of  Jupiter  Olympus,  where  they  consume  their  first 
lean  meal  in  public,  and  dance  for  the  last  time  before 
Easter.  An  immense  quantity  of  onions,  leeks  and  garlic 
is  consumed  on  this  occasion,  and  the  spectacle  is  therefore 
calculated  to  draw  tears  from  the  contemplative  observer. 
I  did  not,  however,  consider  it  worth  while  to  lose  a  week 
of  good  weather  for  the  purpose  of  attending  this  festival. 


90  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

Our  destination  was  Crete,  the  least  visited  yet  most 
interesting  of  all  the  Grecian  islands.  (I  use  "  Grecian" 
in  the  ancient,  not  the  modern  sense.  Crete  has  been,  since 
1669,  subject  to  Turkey.)  Braisted  and  I,  accompanied  by 
Fran9ois  as  dragoman  and  purveyor,  with  his  kit,  camp 
beds,  and  a  multitude  of  Arabic  saddle-bags,  left  our  joint 
mansion  in  Athens,  and  descended  to  the  Piraeus.  The 
steamer  which  was  to  take  us  to  Crete  was  just  coming  into 
the  harbor,  with  the  Lord  High  Commissioner  of  the  Ionian 
Islands  and  his  suite  on  board,  which  circumstance  obliged 
us  to  wait  until  long  after  dark,  before  we  could  get  under 
way  for  Syra.  We  awoke  next  morning  in  the  island- 
harbor,  opposite  the  white  pyramidal  town,  in  the  aspect  of 
which  I  could  not  notice  the  slightest  difference  since  I  first 
saw  it,  more  than  six  years  ago.  Our  steamer  lay  there  all 
day — a  very  tedious  detention — and  started  in  the  evening 
for  Khania,  about  150  miles  distant  in  a  southern  direction. 
Crete  lies  between  the  parallels  of  35°  and  36°,  not  much 
further  removed  from  Africa  than  from  Europe,  and  its 
climate,  consequently,  is  intermediate  between  that  of 
Greece  and  that  of  Alexandria. 

In  the  morning,  the  island  was  already  visible,  although 
some  thirty  miles  distant,  the  magnificent  snowy  mass  of 
the  White  Mountains  gleaming  before  us,  under  a  bank  of 
clouds.  By  ten  o'clock,  the  long  blue  line  of  the  coast 
broke  into  irregular  points,  the  Dictynna3an  promontory 
and  that  of  Akroteri  thrusting  themselves  out  toward  us 
so  as  to  give  an  amphitheatric  character  to  that  part  of  the 
island  we  were  approaching,  while  the  broad,  snowy  dome 
of  the  Cretan  Ida,  standing  alone,  far  to  the  east,  floated  in 


AN   EXCURSION  TO    CRETE.  91 

a  sea  of  soft,  golden  light.  The  White  Mountains  were 
completely  enveloped  in  snow  to  a  distance  of  4,000  feet 
below  their  summits,  and  scarcely  a  rock  pierced  the  lumin 
ous  covering.  The  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Khania,  retaining 
their  amphitheatric  form,  rose  gradually  from  the  water,  a 
rich  panorama  of  wheat-fields,  vineyards  and  olive  groves, 
crowded  with  sparkling  villages,  while  Khania,  in  the  cen 
tre,  grew  into  distinctness — a  picturesque  jumble  of  mos 
ques,  old  Venetian  arches  and  walls,  pink  and  yellow  build 
ings,  and  palm  trees.  The  character  of  the  scene  was 
Syrian  rather  than  Greek,  being  altogether  richer  and 
warmer  than  anything  in  Greece. 

We  entered  the  little  port,  which  is  protected  by  a  mole, 
but  is  too  shallow  and  confined  to  contain  more  than  a 
dozen  vessels  of  average  size.  In  fact,  it  is  partly  filled  up, 
and  needs  digging  out  again.  The  Serai',  or  Government 
Palace,  resting  on  lofty  arches,  which-  spring  from  the 
remains  of  some  old  Venetian  defences,  fronts  the  entrance ; 
a  little  yellow  mosque  nestles  under  it,  close  upon  the  water, 
and  an  irregular  mass  of  rickety  houses,  with  overhanging 
balconies,  incloses  the  port.  On  the  right,  as  we  enter,  is  a 
battery,  the  walls  of  which  are  crowded  with  idle  Turkish 
soldiers.  The  narrow  stone  quay  around  the  port  is 
thronged  with  Oriental  costumes,  among  which  the  white 
turban  of  the  Moslem  is  frequent.  Everything  has  a  mel 
low  tint  of  age,  indolence,  and  remoteness  from  Progress. 

After  a  time,  we  obtained  pratique,  and  were  put  ashore 
at  a  little  yellow  custom-house  beside  the  mosque.  While 
the  people  were  crowding  around  us  with  great  curiosity,  I 
was  accosted  with  the  question :  "Are  you  from  the  States?'' 


92  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

The  speaker  was  an  Englishman,  who  probably  belonged 
to  a  coaler  in  the  harbor.  "  Because,"  he  continued,  "  the 
dragoman  of  the  American  Consul  lives  close  by,  and  he 
can  help  you  get  your  things  through."  At  this  moment, 
the  dragoman — an  Ionian  Greek — made  his  appearance,  and 
conducted  us  at  once  to  the  Consulate.  We  found  the 
Consul,  Mr.  Mountfort,  in  a  rickety  little  house,  overlook 
ing  the  harbor.  The  American  flag  was  profusely  displayed 
on  the  Avails :  I  counted  no  less  than  five  specimens.  "  There 
is  no  khan  in  the  place,"  said  the  dragoman,  "  you  must 
stop  here."  After  some  deliberation,  we  took  possession 
of  the  servant's  room,  which  was  dry  and  well  ventilated, 
by  means  of  holes  in  the  floor.  The  preliminary  arrange 
ments  made,  the  Consul  entertained  us  with  some  excel 
lent  old  Cretan  wine,  and  a  full  account  of  his  doings  since 
he  came  to  the  island.  He  claimed  to  have  been  the  first 
to  introduce  rum,  soda-ash  and  soap-bags  into  Crete.  "  I 
intend  to  build  up  quite  a  trade  in  American  rum,"  said  he. 
"  Your  failure  would  be  a  better  thing  for  the  Cretans  than 
your  success,"  I  could  not  help  remarking. 

Khania  occupies  the  site  of  the  ancient  Cydonia,  by 
which  name  the  Greek  bishopric  is  still  called.  The  Vene 
tian  city  was  founded  in  1252,  and  any  remnants  of  the 
older  town  which  may  have  then  remained,  were  quite 
obliterated  by  it.  The  only  ruins  now  are  those  of  Vene 
tian  churches,  some  of  which  have  been  converted  into 
mosques,  and  a  number  of  immense  arched  vaults,  opening 
on  the  harbor,  built  to  shelter  the  galleys  of  the  Republic. 
Just  beyond  the  point  on  which  stands  the  Serai',  I  counted 
fifteen  of  these,  side  by  side,  eleven  of  which  are  still  entire. 


AN   EXCURSION   TO    CRETE.  93 

A  little  further,  there  are  three  more,  but  all  are  choked 
up  with  sand,  and  of  no  present  use.  The  modern  town 
is  an  exact  picture  of  a  Syrian  sea-port,  with  its  narrow, 
crooked  streets,  shaded  bazaars,  and  turbaned  merchants. 
Its  population  is  9,500,  including  the  garrison,  according  to 
a  census  just  completed  at  the  time  of  our  visit.  It  is 
walled,  and  the  gates  are  closed  during  the  night. 

In  the  evening,  we  paid  a  visit  to  Mademoiselle  Kon- 
taxaky,  better  known  throughout  the  East  as  "  Elizabeth 
of  Crete."  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  her  from  Mr. 
Hill,  in  whose  family  she  was  educated.  Her  profound 
scholarship,  wit,  enthusiasm  and  energy  are  characteristics 
of  the  rarest  kind  among  the  Greek  women  of  the  present 
day,  and  have  therefore  given  her  a  wide  celebrity.  Of 
course,  her  position  is  not  entirely  a  pleasant  one.  While 
some  of  the  Greeks  are  justly  proud  of  her,  others  dislike 
and  some  fear  her.  Her  will,  talent  and  a  certain  diploma 
tic  aptness  give  her  considerable  power  and  influence,  the 
possession  of  which  always  excites  jealousy  and  enmity  in 
a  Greek  community.  Consequently,  she  has  many  enemies, 
and  is  assailed  at  times  by  the  meanest  slanders  and  intri 
gues.  She  is  about  thirty  years  of  age,  of  a  medium  stature, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  her  lambent  black  eyes,  there  is 
nothing  very  striking  in  her  appearance.  She  speaks 
English,  Greek  and  French  with  almost  equal  fluency,  and 
has  the  ancient  Greek  authors  at  her  fingers'  ends.  She 
talks  with  great  rapidity,  ease,  and  with  a  rare  clearness 
and  sequence  of  ideas,  in  narration.  I  was  interested  at 
finding  in  her  the  same  quickness  and  acuteness  of  mental 
perception  for  which  the  old  Greeks  were  famous.  She  is 


94  TRAVELS    IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

not  a  Hypatia,  yet  there  is  no  doubt  that  both  her  achieve 
ments  and  her  influence  would  be  greater  were  the  sphere 
of  woman  in  those  countries  less  circumscribed.  She  has 
been  mentioned  as  an  evidence  of  what  the  race  is  still 
capable  of,  but  I  think  unfairly.  She  would  be  an  excep 
tional  woman  in  any  country. 

The  following  morning,  the  Consul  sent  his  dragoman  to 
request  for  us  an  interview  with  Vely  Pasha,  the  Governor 
of  Crete.  Shortly  afterwards,  the  dragoman  of  the  latter 
called  upon  us  and  gave  notice  of  the  hour  when  we  would 
be  received.  We  found  the  Pasha  in  the  Sera'i,  in  a  hand 
somely  furnished  room,  which  was  decorated  with  busts 
and  pictures.  Conspicuous  among  the  latter  was  a  large 
tinted  lithograph  of  Stuart's  head  of  Washington.  The 
Pasha  came  forward  to  receive  us,  shook  hands,  and  con 
ducted  us  to  the  divan,  where,  instead  of  dropping  cross- 
legged  on  the  cushions,  we  all  took  our  rest  on  comfortable 
Boston  rocking-chairs.  He  spoke  French  very  well,  having 
been,  as  the  reader  may  remember,  Turkish  Ambassador  at 
Paris  for  three  years,  during  the  whole  period  of  the  war, 
when  his  post  was  more  than  ordinarily  important.  Previous 
to  this,  he  had  been  Governor  of  Bosnia.  He  has,  besides, 
served  in  Egypt,  and  speaks,  as  he  informed  me,  seven 
languages.  He  is  a  very  handsome  man,  above  the  average 
size  of  the  Turks,  and  not  more  than  thirty-five  years  of 
age.  His  costume,  except  the  fez,  was  entirely  European, 
and  he  is  the  first  Oriental  I  have  seen  who  wears  it 
naturally  and  gracefully. 

If  I  was  pleased  with  Vely  Pasha  at  first  sight,  his  kind 
ness  during  this  interview  certainly  gave  me  no  reason  to 


AX   EXCURSION   TO    CRETE.  95 

change  my  opinion.  Learning  that  we  intended  visiting 
the  monasteries  of  Akroterinext  day,  he  immediately  offered 
us  horses  from  his  own  stable,  and  an  officer  as  guide  and 
attendant.  Besides  promising  to  have  a  firman  written  for 
our  journey  into  the  interior,he  ordered  his  secretary  to  pre 
pare  letters  of  recommendation  for  me,  to  the  Governors 
of  Rhithymnos  and  Candia,  and  the  Greek  Bishop  and 
Archbishop,  and  concluded  by  offering  to  send  an  attendant 
with  us  during  the  whole  journey.  I  hesitated  to  accept  so 
many  generous  offers,  but  he  declared  it  to  be  his  earnest 
desire  that  the  island  should  be  seen  by  strangers,  that  it 
may  become  better  known  and  more  frequently  visited, 
and  therefore  he  considered  it  his  duty  to  furnish  me  with 
all  the  facilities  at  his  command.  While  we  were  discuss 
ing  this  matter,  in  combination  with  some  pipes  of  delicious 
Latakia,  his  carriage  was  brought  to  the  door,  and  we  set 
out,  under  the  secretary's  escort,  to  visit  the  Pasha's  coun 
try  palace  and  gardens  at  Seviglia,  about  four  miles  dis 
tant. 

Passing  through  the  large  Turkish  cemetery,  which  was 
covered  with  an  early  crop  of  blue  anemones,  we  came 
upon  the  rich  plain  of  Khania,  lying  broad  and  fair,  like  a 
superb  garden,  at  the  foot  of  the  White  Mountains,  whose 
vast  masses  of  shining  snow  filled  up  the  entire  southern 
heaven.  Eastward,  the  plain  slopes  to  the  deep  bay  of 
Suda,  whose  surface  shone  blue  above  the  silvery  line  of  the 
olive  groves ;  while,  sixty  miles  away,  rising  high  above  the 
intermediate  headlands,  the  solitary  peak  of  Mount  Ida, 
bathed  in  a  warm  afternoon  glow,  gleamed  like  an  Olym 
pian  mount,  not  only  the  birthplace,  but  the  throne  of  im- 


96  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

mortal  Jove.  Immense  olive  trees  sprang  from  the  dark- 
red,  fertile  earth ;  cypresses  and  the  canopied  Italian  pine 
interrupted  their  gray  monotony,  and  every  garden  hung 
the  golden  lamps  of  its  oranges  over  the  wall.  The  plain 
is  a  paradise  of  fruitf ulness,  and  alas !  of  fever.  The  moist 
soil,  the  dense  shade,  with  lack  of  proper  drainage  and 
ventilation,  breed  miasma  which  make  it  dangerous,  during 
a  part  of  the  year,  to  pass  a  single  night  in  any  of  the 
villages.  We  found  the  Pasha's  house  dismantled,  and  the 
furniture — mostly  carpets  and  cushions — heaped  up  in  two 
or  three  rooms ;  but  the  garden,  with  its  tanks  and  water- 
pipes,  its  hedges  of  blooming  roses,  its  thickets  of  rhodo 
dendron  and  bowers  of  jasmine,  was  a  refreshment  to  the 
soul.  The  gardener  gathered  us  oranges  and  bouquets, 
while  I  sat  upon  the  highest  terrace  and  made  a  sketch  of 
the  splendid  plain. 

In  the  morning,  the  horses  were  brought  to  us  at  an 
early  hour,  in  charge  of  Hadji  Bey,  a  jolly  old  officer  of 
gendarmes,  who  was  to  accompany  us.  As  far  as  the  vil 
lage  of  Kalepa,  where  the  Pasha  was  then  residing,  there  is 
a  carriage-road ;  afterwards,  only  a  stony  mountain  path. 
From  the  spinal  ridge  of  the  promontory,  which  we  crossed, 
we  overlooked  all  the  plain  of  Khania,  and  beyond  the 
Dictynnsean  peninsula,  to  the  western  extremity  of  Crete. 
The  White  Mountains,  though  less  than  seven  thousand  feet 
in  height,  deceive  the  eye  by  the  contrast  between  their 
spotless  snows  and  the  summer  at  their  base,  and  seem  to 
rival  the  Alps.  The  day  was  cloudless  and  balmy ;  birds 
•sang  on  every  tree,  and  the  grassy  hollo ws  were  starred  with 
anemones,  white,  pink,  violet  and  crimson.  It  was  the  first 


AN   EXCURSION   TO    CKETE.  97 

breath  of  the  southern  spring,  after  a  winter  which  had 
been  as  terrible  for  Crete  as  for  Greece. 

After  a  ride  of  three  hours,  we  reached  a  broad  valley, 
at  the  foot  of  that  barren  mountain  mass  in  which  the 
promontory  terminates.  To  the  eastward  we  saw  the  large 
monastery  of  Agio,  Triada  (the  Holy  Trinity),  overlook 
ing  its  fat  sweep  of  vine  and  olive  land ;  but  as  I  wished  to 
visit  the  glen  of  Katholiko,  among  the  mountains,  we 
crossed  the  valley  to  a  large  farm-house,  in  order  to  pro 
cure  a  guide.  The  sun  shone  hot  into  the  stony  and  dirty 
court-yard,  surrounded  by  one-story  huts,  and  not  a  soul 
was  to  be  seen.  There  was  a  little  chapel  at  hand,  and  a 
carved  piece  of  iron  suspended  to  an  orange  tree  beside  it, 
in  lieu  of  a  bell.  Hadji  Bey  shouted,  and  Frai^ois  beat  the 
sacred  metal  with  a  stone,  until  a  gray-bearded  native  and 
two  young  fellows,  with  hair  hanging  in  a  long  braid  down 
their  backs,  made  their  appearance.  What  was  our  sur 
prise,  then,  to  see  the  doors  open  and  a  number  of  women 
and  children,  who  had  previously  concealed  themselves, 
issue  forth !  We  were  now  regaled  with  wine,  and  Diakos, 
one  of  the  long-haired  youths,  mounted  his  mule  to  guide 
us.  In  the  deep,  dry  mountain  glen  which  we  entered,  I 
found  numbers  of  carob-trees.  Rocks  of  dark-blue  lime 
stone,  stained  with  bright  orange  oxydations,  overhung  us  as 
we  followed  the  track  of  a  torrent  upward  into  the  heart  of 
this  bleak  region,  where,  surrounded  by  the  hot,  arid  peaks, 
is  the  monastery  of  Governato. 

A  very  dirty  old  monk  and  two  servants  were  the  only 
inmates.  We  were  hungry,  and  had  counted  on  as  good  a 
dinner  as  might  be  had  in  Lent,  but  some  black  bread,  cheese, 


98  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

and  an  unlimited  supply  of  water  were  all  that  we  obtained. 
The  monk  informed  us  that  the  monastery  was  dedicated 
to  St.  John,  and  was  celebrated  for  the  abundance  of  its 
honey ;  but  neither  honey  nor  locusts  could  he  give  us. 
Behind  the  chapel  was  a  vault  in  which  they  put  the  dead 
monks.  When  the  vault  gets  full,  they  take  out  the  bones 
and  skulls  and  throw  them  into  an  open  chamber  adjoining, 
where  their  daily  sight  and  smell  furnish  wholesome  lessons 
of  mortality  to  the  survivors.  Fra^ois  was  so  indignant 
at  the  monk's  venerable  filthiness  and  the  Lenten  fare  he 
gave  us,  that  he  refused  to  pay  anything  "  to  the  Church," 
as  is  delicately  customary. 

We  descended  on  foot  to  the  monastery  of  Katholiko, 
which  we  reached  in  half  an  hour.  Its  situation  is  like  that 
of  San  Saba  in  Palestine,  at  the  bottom  of  a  split  in  the 
stony  hills,  and  the  sun  rarely  shines  upon  it.  Steps  cut  in 
the  rock  lead  down  the  face  of  the  precipice  to  the  deserted 
monastery,  near  which  is  a  cavern  500  feet  long,  leading 
into  the  rock.  The  ravine  is  spanned  by  an  arch,  nearly  50 
feet  high,  at  one  end  of  which  is  a  deep,  dark  well,  wherein 
refractory  monks  were  imprisoned.  The  only  living  thing 
we  saw  was  a  shepherd-boy,  who  shouted  to  us  from  the 
top  of  the  opposite  cliffs.  Of  St.  John  the  Hermit,  whom 
the  monastery  commemorates,  I  know  no  more  than  I  do 
of  St.  John  the  Hunter,  who  has  a  similar  establishment 
near  Athens. 

At  Agia  Triada,  we  found  things  different  indeed.  As 
we  rode  up  the  stately  avenue  of  cypresses,  between  vine 
yards  and  almond  trees  in  blossom,  servants  advanced  to 
take  our  horses,  and  the  hegoumenos,  or  abbot,  shouted, 


AN   EXCURSION   TO    CRETE.  99 

"ITalos  orizete!"  (welcome)  from  the  top  of  the  steps. 
With  his  long  gown  and  rotund  person,  he  resembled  a 
good-natured  grandmother,  but  the  volumes  of  his  beard 
expressed  redundant  masculinity.  We  were  ushered  into 
a  clean  room,  furnished  with  a  tolerable  library  of  orthodox 
volumes.  A  boy  of  fifteen,  with  a  face  like  the  young 
Raphael,  brought  us  glasses  of  a  rich,  dark  wine,  something 
like  Port,  jelly  and  coffee.  The  size  and  substantial  charac 
ter  of  this  monastery  attest  its  wealth,  no  less  than  the 
flourishing  appearance  of  the  lands  belonging  to  it.  Its 
large  court-yard  is  shaded  with  vine-bowers  and  orange 
trees,  and  the  chapel  in  the  centre  has  a  fa9ade  supported 
by  Doric  columns. 

It  was  sunset  when  we  reached  Kalepa,  where  we  stopped 
to  dine  with  the  Pasha,  according  to  previous  arrangement. 
He  has  a  country-house  handsomely  furnished  in  the  most 
luxurious  European  style,  the  walls  hung  with  portraits  of 
prominent  living  sovereigns  and  statesmen.  On  the  dinner- 
table  was  an  epergne  of  pure  gold,  two  feet  long  and 
eighteen  inches  high  ;  the  knives,  forks  and  spoons  were 
also  of  the  same  metal.  He  had  an  accomplished  French 
cook,  and  offered  us,  beside  the  wine  of  Crete,  Burgundy, 
Rhenish  and  Champagne.  He  drank  but  sparingly,  how 
ever,  and  of  a  single  kind.  After  dinner,  I  had  a  long 
conversation  with  him  on  the  state  of  the  Orient,  and  was 
delighted  to  find  a  Turk  in  his  position  imbued  with  such 
enlightened  and  progressive  ideas.  If  there  were  nine 
men  like  him,  the  regeneration  of  the  East  would  not 
be  so  difficult.  One  man,  however— unless  he  fills  the 
very  highest  administrative  position — is  almost  powerless, 


100  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

when  the  combined  influence  of  the  European  Powers  is 
brought  to  bear  against  him.  Before  the  close  of  1858 
Vely  Pasha  was  recalled  from  Crete,  and  the  good  works 
he  had  begun  completely  neutralized.  The  real  condition 
of  affairs  was  so  thoroughly  misrepresented  that  in  all  the 
newspapers  of  Europe  but  a  single  voice  (the  correspondent 
of  the  London  Times)  was  raised  to  do  him  justice. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A      CRETAN      JOURNEY. 

MY  plan  of  travel,  on  leaving  Khania,  was  to  visit  the  wild 
mountain  region  of  Sfakia,  wThich  lies  beyond  the  White 
Mountains,  in  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  island.  This 
district  bears  a  similar  relation  to  the  rest  of  Crete,  as  that 
of  Maina  does  to  Greece,  being  inhabited  by  a  savage 
remnant  of  the  ancient  race,  who,  until  within  a  very  few 
years,  have  maintained  a  virtual  independence.  It  is  in 
such  out-of-the-way  corners  that  the  physical  characteristics 
of  the  original  stock  must  now  be  looked  for.  I  have  long 
believed  that  some  rills  of  Hellenic  blood  must  still  continue 
to  flow  on  the  ancient  soil,  untouched  by  those  Slavonic 
and  Ottoman  inundations  which  have  well  nigh  washed  it 
out  of  the  modern  race.  I  was  quite  sure  that  in  Sfakia, 
where  a  dialect,  conjectured  to  be  the  old  Cretan-Doric,  is 
still  spoken,  I  should  find  the  legitimate  stock — the  com 
mon,  not  the  heroic  type,  preserved  almost  intact.  The 
passes  of  the  White  Mountains  are  difficult  at  all  seasons, 
and  I  ascertained  that  the  xyloscala^  or  "  wooden  ladder," 


102  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

by  which  I  had  intended  to  descend  into  Sfakia,  was  not  to 
be  reached  on  account  of  the  snow ;  but  there  is  another 
road  around  the  eastern  base  of  the  mountains,  and  I 
determined  to  try  it. 

The  Pasha  endeavored  to  dissuade  me  from  the  attempt, 
"  The  roads  in  Crete,"  said  he,  "  are  absolutely  frightful ; 
and  though,  as  a  traveller,  you  must  be  prepared  for  any 
experience,  yet,  when  the  season  is  bad,  they  become  quite 
impassable,  even  to  the  natives.  I  have  had  a  carriage- 
road  surveyed  and  located  from  here  to  Heracleon,  and 
a  small  portion  of  it  is  already  finished,  near  Rhithymnos ; 
but  the  people  oppose  it  with  all  their  might,  and  at  least 
five  or  six  years  must  elapse  before  enough  is  done  to 
demonstrate  to  them  the  use  and  value  of  such  improve 
ments.*  I  am  satisfied  that  Turkey  will  never  advance 
until  she  has  means  of  communication  sufficient  to  make 
her  internal  resources  available.  This  is  the  first  step 
towards  the  regeneration  of  the  Orient — and  the  .only  first 
step  in  the  path  of  true  progress.  The  power  and  civiliza 
tion  of  Europe  rest  on  this  foundation."  There  is  great 
truth  in  these  remarks,  as,  indeed,  there  was  in  the  Pasha's 
views  on  the  Oriental  question.  They  disclosed  an  enlight 
ened  and  practical  mind,  the  rarest  apparition  among  the 
Governors  of  the  East. 

At  last,  on  the  morning  of  our  departure,  the  Pasha  sent 
me  Captain  Mkephoro,  a  dashing  Sfakiote  chieftain,  who 
was  ordered  to  accompany  us  through  the  territory,  as 
guide  and  guard.  He  was  a  tall,  handsome  fellow,  with 

*  The  building  of  this  road  was  the  main  cause  of  the  rebellion  in 
Crete,  a  few  months  later ! 


A    CRETAN   JOURNEY.  103 

fiery  black  eyes,  raven  hair  and  moustache,  and  an  eagle's 
beak  of  a  nose.  A  pair  of  long,  silver-mounted  pistols,  and 
a  yataghan,  with  a  silver  hilt  and  scabbard,  adorned  his 
belt.  Hadji  Bey  wore  his  blue  uniform  and  sabre,  and  was 
mounted  on  a  sturdy  gray  horse.  The  chief  muleteer, 
Anagnosti,  who  was  chosen  for  us  by  the  Consul's  drago 
man,  as  an  honest  and  skilful  man  (and  whom  we  after 
wards  discharged  as  the  very  opposite),  was  also  mounted, 
so  that,  with  our  two  baggage-mules,  we  made  quite  a 
respectable  caravan.  The  Consul,  who  had  hospitably 
entertained  us  during  our  stay,  accompanied  us  to  the 
gates  of  Khania,  and  we  set  off  on  our  first  Cretan  journey, 
in  the  midst  of  a  soft,  thick  rain. 

The  road  to  Suda,  four  miles,  is  a  broad,  carriageable 
way,  leading  through  the  rich  plain  of  Khania.  Peasants 
were  busy  plowing  the  mellow,  dark-red  loam.  Vineyards, 
olive  orchards  and  wheat-fields  succeeded  each  other,  and 
the  flourishing  villages  on  the  lower  slopes  of  the  mountains 
on  our  right,  glimmered  through  the  gray  veil  of  the  fall 
ing  showers.  Suda  is  a  deep,  beautiful  bay,  open  only 
toward  the  north-east,  where  an  old  Venetian  fortress,  on  a 
rocky  island,  commands  its  mouth.  The  ground  at  its 
head  is  marshy,  and  near  the  shore  there  are  salt  pans. 
Vely  Pasha,  however,  had  the  intention  of  draining  these 
marshes  and  building  up  a  town  on  the  spot.  A  better 
situation,  in  fact,  could  scarcely  be  found  on  the  island. 

Our  road  followed  the  shore  for  a  short  distance,  and 
then  began  to  climb  the  base  of  Mount  Malaxa,  which 
towered  far  above  us,  its  summit  wrapped  in  clouds.  This 
is  probably  the  ancient  Berecynthus,  the  scene  of  the  Ida3an 


104  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

Dactyls,  where  fire  was  first  brought  down  from  heaven, 
and  metal  forged.  Antiquaries  are  divided  in  opinion, 
some  affirming  that  the  mountain  is  of  calcareous  rock 
(which  it  certainly  is) — others  that  it  is  schistose,  and  may 
therefore  contain  veins  of  metal.  I  do  not  see  that  this 
question  is  of  much  importance.  All  myths  had  a  location, 
of  course,  and  in  the  days  when  they  formed  a  part  of  the 
prevalent  religion,  men  were  not  in  the  habit  of  testing 
them.'  by  inquiry  and  research.  Malaxa  corresponds,  geo 
graphically,  with  the  position  of  Berecynthus,  and  we  need 
not  trouble  our  heads  about  the  rest. 

Clumps  of  myrtle  and  oleander  filled  the  glens,  and  the 
mastic  shrub,  sage  and  wild  thyme  covered  the  stony 
shoulders  of  the  hills.  We  still  plodded  on  in  the  rain, 
passing  here  and  there  a  ruined  keep,  climbing  rocky  lad 
ders,  or  slipping  on  the  polished  surface  of  an  old  road, 
where  the  stones  had  been  laid  together  in  some  sort  of 
order.  After  three  hours,  when  we  were  all  tolerably  wet, 
cold  and  hungry,  we  crossed  the  crest  of  the  shore  hills  and 
came  upon  the  broad  table-land  of  Apokorona,  at  the  east 
ern  base  of  the  White  Mountains.  Cheered  by  the  hope 
of  soon  reaching  our  destination — a  monastery  at  Paleoka- 
stron,  on  the  site  of  Aptera — we  hurried  on  to  a  little  village. 
The  people  crowded  to  the  doors  to  see  us  and  give  us  direc 
tions.  "  Good  day,  palikar !"  said  a  woman  whom  I 
greeted.  The  men,  all  of  whom  had  very  cheerful  and 
friendly  faces,  accompanied  us  a  little  distance  to  point  out 
the  road,  and  tore  down  the  stone  fences  for  our  mules, 
that  we  might  find  a  shorter  way  across  their  fields. 

The  plain  of  Apokorona  presented  a  pleasant  picture  of 


A   CRETAN   JOURNEY.  105 

fertility  and  cultivation.  Wheat-fields,  divided  by  stone 
fences,  and  dotted  with  clumps  of  olive-trees,  stretched  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  In  half  an  hour  we  reached 
some  of  the  ruins  of  Aptera.  Hewn  blocks,  among  them 
fragments  of  small  Doric  pillars,  were  scattered  over  the 
soil,  and  along  the  highest  part  of  the  hill  ran  a  low  wall  of 
square  stones.  A  little  further  was  the  monastery,  a  mas 
sive  square  stone  building,  standing  in  the  midst  of  some 
ruins  of  the  Roman  time.  The  place  is  a  Metokhi,  or 
branch,  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  John,  on  Patmos.  It  is 
occupied  only  by  one  priest,  a  married  man,  who  rents  from 
the  Government  a  large  tract  of  the  land  lying  round  about 
it,  for  12,000  piastres  ($500)  a  year.  He  received  us  in  the 
court,  ushered  us  into  a  small  leaky  room,  and  in  due  time 
we  procured  a  meal  of  eggs  fried  in  oil,  fresh  cheese-curds, 
and  coarse  but  good  bread.  Notwithstanding  Lent  had 
commenced,  the  priest  was  willing  to  furnish  heretics  with 
the  means  to  break  it,  for  a  consideration.  We  tried  to 
dry  our  soaked  garments  over  a  brazier  of  coals,  and  gave 
up  all  hopes  of  proceeding  further  that  day. 

Aptera  ( Wingless)  derives  its  name  from  the  combat 
between  the  Sirens  and  the  Muses,  wherein  the  former 
were  stripped  of  their  wings,  and  plunging  into  the  sea, 
became  the  rocks  of  LeucaB,  which  lie  in  the  mouth  of  the 
Bay  of  Suda.  The  ruins  near  the  convent  are  those  of  cis 
terns,  undoubtedly  of  Roman  construction.  One  of  them 
is  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  with  a  branch  at 
right  angles.  Another  is  a  triple  vault,  in  a  nearly  perfect 
state,  its  walls  of  division  resting  on  four  arches  of  cut  stone. 
On  inquiring  for  the  Cyclopean  walls,  the  priest  said  they 


106  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

were  further  to  the  eastward.  Captain  Nikephoro  put  on 
his  thick  capote  to  keep  off  the  rain,  and  accompanied  us. 
Along  the  brow  of  the  mountain,  for  the  distance  of  nearly 
half  a  mile  (which  was  as  far  as  we  traced  it),  runs  a 
polygonal  wall,  composed  of  huge  undressed  masses  of 
rock.  Its  breadth  is  seven  feet,  and  its  greatest  height 
twelve,  the  upper  portion  having  been  either  thrown  down 
or  carried  off.  The  masonry,  though  massive,  is  rude,  and 
evidently  belongs  to  the  earliest  period. 

In  the  evening  a  number  of  peasants  came  in  with  coins, 
Greek,  Roman  and  Venetian,  some  of  which  I  bought. 
Among  them  were  some  autonomous  coins  of  Aptera,  with 
a  bee  on  the  obverse.  The  most  of  them,  however,  were 
illegible,  and  held  by  their  finders  at  prices  far  above  their 
real  value.  We  occupied  the  priest's  bed  for  the  night, 
which  was  a  raised  platform  across  the  dry  end  of  the  room. 
The  sacerdotal  fleas  were  as  voracious  as  Capuchin  friars, 
and  though  they  were  distributed  over  four  persons  instead 
of  two,  they  murdered  sleep  none  the  less.  Next  morning 
the  rain  continued,  but  after  a  long  consultation  and  much 
delay,  we  set  out  for  Rhithymnos.  Riding  over  the  plain 
for  an  hour  or  more,  through  fine  old  orchards,  we  reached 
a  new  khan  about  the  breakfast  hour.  A  priest  and  some 
wayfarers  were  within,  smoking  their  narghilehs  and  drink 
ing  the  pale-red  Cretan  wine.  In  Crete  the  wine  is  not 
resined,  as  in  Greece,  and  we  can  therefore  get  at  its 
natural  flavor,  which  is  fully  equal  to  that  of  the  ordinary 
wines  of  Spain.  I  much  prefer  it  to  the  renowned  wine  of 
Cyprus,  notwithstanding  Mrs.  Browning's  Bacchic  pa?an  to 
the  latter.  In  Greece  the  wine  was  no  doubt  resinous  in 


A   CRETAN   JOUKNEY.  107 

ancient  times.  The  pine-cone  topping  the  staff  of  Bacchus 
is  probably  one  symbol  of  the  fact.  By  adding  the  raw 
resin — which  is  collected  by  tapping  the  pine  trees — it  is 
not  only  more  easily  preserved,  but  may  be  increased  by  the 
addition  of  water.  It  is  a  most  wholesome  beverage,  but 
the  flavor,  to  an  unaccustomed  palate,  is  horrible. 

In  front  of  the  khan  a  silvery  waterfall  gleamed  through 
the  olive  trees,  and  Braisted  and  I  walked  thither,  accom 
panied  by  the  faithful  Sfakiote,  who  never  allowed  us  to 
get  out  of  his  sight.  The  place  reminded  me  of  the 
sources  of  the  Jordan,  at  Banias.  A  stream  large  enough 
to  drive  a  cotton  factory  gushed  out  of  the  earth  at  the 
foot  of  a  pile  of  rocks,  fell  over  a  mossy  dam,  and  rushed 
away  through  the  meadows  towards  the  sea.  Nikephoro 
informed  me,  however,  that  it  dries  up  in  summer.  Our 
road,  for  some  distance  after  leaving  the  khan,  was  a  mere 
scrambling  track  over  stony  ridges,  impassable  for  anything 
except  the  sure-footed  Cretan  mules.  Our  course  was  a 
remarkably  tortuous  one,  winding  hither  and  thither  with 
out  any  regard  to  the  direction  we  should  go.  We  at  last 
discovered  that  Anagnosti  was  as  ignorant  as  he  was  lazy, 
and  did  not  know  the  road.  Fra^ois  thereupon  took  fire 
with  his  usual  readiness,  and  we  had  a  storm  of  Greek  epi 
thets.  "  I  have  always  heard,"  said  he,  "  that  the  Cretan 
Turks  were  scamps,  but  now  I  see  that  it  is  the  Cretan 
Christians  who  are  so.  St.  Paul  told  the  truth  about  this 
lying  race." 

After  a  while  we  reached  an  old  monastery,  near  a  village 
called  .Karidi  (The  Nut),  on  a  hill  overlooking  the  interior 
valleys.  The  houses  were  ruinous  and  half  deserted,  but 


108  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

the  orange,  olive,  and  carob  trees  were  of  fine  growth,  and 
the  barley  fields  of  unusual  richness.  In  another  hour  we 
came  upon  a  village  called  Exopolis,  on  the  brow  of  a  steep 
hill  overlooking  the  valley  of  Armyro.  A  dreary  rain  was 
setting  in,  and  Hadji  Bey  declared  that  it  was  impossible  to 
reach  the  next  place  before  dark ;  so  we  took  up  our  quar 
ters  in  the  house  of  an  old  fellow  who  called  himself  the 
chief  of  the  village.  It  was  a  hut  of  stones  and  mud, 
without  a  window,  and  with  a  roof  through  which  the  rain 
leaked  in  little  streams ;  but  it  was  at  least  slightly  better 
than  out  of  doors.  There  were  much  better  houses  in  the 
village,  but  all  were  roofless  and  in  ruins.  Captain  Mke- 
phoro  accompanied  us  to  a  Turkish  tower  of  hewn  stone, 
whence  we  had  a  striking  view  of  the  wild  valley  below. 
Hadji  Bey  lodged  in  the  cafe,  a  dark,  windowless  hut, 
where  they  gave  us  cups  of  burnt  barley  for  coffee.  Some 
Musselmans  and  Christians  were  within,  disputing  violently, 
in  loud,  screaming  voices.  The  Cretans  are  the  most  argu 
mentative  people  in  the  world.  We  cannot  ask  the  simplest 
question  without  getting  a  different  opinion  from  every  by 
stander,  and  thereupon  ensues  a  discussion,  in  which  every 
body  is  edified  except  ourselves.  The  people  informed  us 
that  they  had  had  snow  and  rain  for  a  hundred  days  previ 
ous — a  thing  unheard  of  in  the  island.  Many  of  the  oldest 
olive  trees,  as  we  had  occasion  to  notice,  had  been  broken 
down  by  the  weight  of  the  snow  upon  their  limbs,  and  a 
great  number  of  sheep  and  goats  had  perished. 

The  captain  was  probably  the  richest  man  in  the  village. 
His  wealth  consisted  of  a  field  of  barley,  four  sheep,  five 
goats,  four  pigs,  and  an  ass.  He  was  about  seventy  years 


A   CRETAN   JOURNEY.  109 

old,  had  a  gray  beard,  but  his  youngest  child  was  only  five. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  exhibited  a  laudable  curiosity  to  learn 
the  customs  of  the  eklambrotati  (Their  Brilliancies !)  the 
basiliJcoi  anthropoi  (Royal  Men),  who  had  honored  his  hut 
with  their  presence.  They  took  care  to  be  on  hand  when 
we  undressed,  and  they  came  and  went  so  frequently  during 
the  night  as  to  disturb  our  rest  materially,  but  I  discovered 
an  evidence  of  their  attention  in  the  morning,  on  finding 
that  I  was  covered  with  various  dirty  garments,  placed 
under  the  holes  in  the  roof,  to  intercept  the  droppings.  In 
the  morning  the  woman  came  up  to  me,  suddenly  fell  upon 
her  knees,  kissed  my  muddy  boots,  and  then  arose  and 
kissed  my  hand,  before  I  fairly  noticed  what  she  was  about. 
I  gave  little  Levteri,  who  sat  in  the  chimney-corner,  a  piece 
of  money,  whereupon  he  did  the  same  thing,  and  his  mo 
ther  said :  "  May  God  permit  you  to  enjoy  your  sove 
reignty  many  years !" 

When  we  arose  it  was  still  raining,  slowly,  steadily,  dis 
mally.  It  was  evident  that  we  must  renounce  all  hope  of 
visiting  Sfakia,  for  in  such  weather  the  single  road  into 
that  region  was  already  impassable.  We  therefore  dis 
charged  Captain  Nikephoro,  who  had  been  detailed  for  this 
special  service,  parting  with  the  splendid  fellow  with  genuine 
regret.  Hadji  Bey,  also,  was  disinclined  to  set  out.  It 
was  quite  natural  that  he  should  wish  to  make  things  as 
easy  as  possible  ;  he  was  travelling  for  our  pleasure,  not 
his  own.  However,  I  determined  to  get  into  good  quarters 
at  Rhithymnos,  and  as  soon  as  the  rain  held  up  a  little,  the 
mules  were  packed  in  spite  of  Anagnosti's  curses,  and  we 
set  out.  Descending  the  hill  by  a  frightful  path,  alternate 


110  TRAVELS   IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

rock  and  quagmire,  we  reached  the  river  of  Armyro.  The 
remains  of  an  old  Venetian  fortress  are  upon  its  banks,  and 
a  short  distance  further  a  Turkish  castle,  mosque  and  khan, 
dismantled  and  deserted.  Even  here,  on  the  sea-level,  the 
snow  had  made  great  havoc  among  the  olive  trees.  Finally, 
we  emerged  upon  the  sea-shore,  where  the  sand  and  peb 
bles  made  better  footing  for  our  mules,  but  the  north-east 
wind,  laden  with  rain,  swept  upon  us  with  full  force. 
Hadji  Bey  and  the  muleteers  were  in  constant  alarm  during 
this  part  of  our  journey,  assuring  us  that  the  Sfakiotes,  who 
live  during  the  winter  in  the  neighboring  village  of  Dra- 
mia,  frequently  pounce  upon  and  plunder  travellers.  "But 
you  need  not  be  afraid  of  them  on  such  a  day  as  this,"  I 
suggested.  "  Oh,  this  is  just  the  weather  they  choose  for 
their  attacks,"  said  the  Bey.  By  the  shore  large  timbers 
had  been  collected,  for  the  purpose,  we  were  told,  of  build 
ing  a  mud  machine  for  the  port  of  Khania.  At  last  we 
struck  the  hills  again,  which  here  thrust  out  a  bold,  rocky 
promontory,  the  base  of  which  the  sea  has  gnawed  into  a 
thousand  fantastic  forms. 

After  scrambling  for  some  time  over  the  insteps  of  the 
hills,  we  reached  a  tremendous  gorge,  cleft  into  their  very 
heart,  down  the  bottom  of  which  rushed  a  rapid  stream. 
Near  the  sea  were  the  abutments  of  a  massive  sloping 
bridge,  the  arch  of  which  was  entirely  gone.  It  had  the 
appearance  of  having  been  overthrown  by  an  earthquake, 
and  Hadji  Bey  informed  me  that  it  was  entire  only  sixty 
years  ago.  We  were  now  upon  the  track  of  an  ancient 
road,  fragments  of  the  pavement  of  which  we  saw  in 
places.  The  gorge  was  inclosed  by  precipices  of  blue  lime- 


A   CRETAN   JOURNEY.  Ill 

stone  rock,  whose  fronts  were  stained  with  bright  orange- 
colored  oxydations.  In  color  and  outline  the  picture  was 
superb.  The  geological  formation  of  Crete  is  a  continua 
tion  of  that  of  the  mainland  of  Greece,  the  rock  being 
principally  the  same  palombmo,  or  dove-colored  limestone. 
Our  road  beyond  this  was  the  next  thing  to  imprac 
ticable.  The  rock,  channeled  and  honeycombed  every 
where  by  the  action  of  water,  was  worn  into  a  series  of 
deep  holes,  filled  with  soft  mud,  hi  and  out  of  which  our 
mules  plunged.  On  every  headland  stood  a  ruined  watch- 
tower,  of  the  Venetian  or  Turkish  tunes.  After  more  than 
two  hours  of  this  travel,  we  caught  sight  of  the  fortress  of 
Rhithymnos,  crowning  a  projecting  cape  some  distance 
ahead.  Two  minarets  and  a  palm-tree,  rising  above  the 
gray  houses  of  the  town,  relieved  the  view  a  little,  but  had 
it  been  ten  times  more  dismal,  the  sight  would  have  been  a 
welcome  one  to  us,  in  our  cold,  sore,  and  hungry  condition. 
Soon  afterwards  we  came  to  a  very  wild  and  deep  ravine, 
spanned  by  a  bridge  of  a  double  row  of  arches,  one  above 
the  other — undoubtedly  a  Roman  work.  We  now  struck 
upon  the  new  road,  which  fully  justified  Vely  Pasha's 
description.  It  was  a  broad,  solid,  substantial,  English 
highway,  even  better  than  the  wants  of  the  island  demand. 
Two  or  three  hundred  men  were  at  work,  hauling  the 
broken  stone  in  hand-cars,  or  breaking  them  in  the  shelter 
of  natural  caves  in  the  side  of  the  hill.  We  pressed  on, 
passed  the  village  of  lepers,  whose  houses  are  stuck  like 
swallows'  nests  in  the  interstices  of  a  solitary  mass  of  rock, 
and  at  length  entered  the  town  by  a  long,  low,  gloomy 
gate. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

OUR     IMPRISONMENT     AT     RHITHYMNOS. 

looked  upon  Rhithymnos  as  a  port  of  refuge  after  our 
stormy  journey,  and  it  was  therefore  a  matter  of  some 
importance  to  decide  where  we  should  go.  The  Pasha 
had  given  me  letters  to  the  Turkish  Governor  and  the 
Greek  Bishop.  As  a  Protestant,  I  was  equally  an  infidel 
in  the  eyes  of  both,  but  the  Turk  is  more  hospitable  than 
the  Greek,  everywhere,  and  the  Bishop,  besides,  was  fa 
mishing  in  the  leanness  of  his  Lent ;  so  I  directed  Hadji 
Bey  to  conduct  us  to  the  Governor.  We  passed  through  a 
street  of  bazaars,  wholly  Moslem  in  appearance,  and  soon 
reached  the  residence  of  the  Kdimakan,  Khalim  Bey,  near 
the  port.  He  was  absent  at  the  Council,  but  a  servant — 
at  a  hint  from  our  Hadji — conducted  us  to  a  large,  unfur 
nished  room,  one-half  of  which  was  a  dais,  covered  with 
straw  matting,  and  had  our  baggage  brought  up. 

Soon  afterwards  the  Governor  arrived.  He  was  a  stout 
man  of  about  fifty,  with  an  open,  pleasant  countenance. 
He  was  a  native  of  Monastir,  in  Macedonia,  but  had 


OUK  IMPRISONMENT   AT   EHITHYMNOS.  113 

served  in  Syria  and  Egypt,  and  even  spent  some  months 
in  Paris.  He  shook  hands  cordially,  ushered  us  into 
his  divan,  a  low,  barely-furnished  room,  and  then  read 
the  Pasha's  letter.  I  begged  him  to  assist  us  in  obtain 
ing  lodgings  in  the  town,  but  he  declared  at  once  'that 
he  would  be  greatly  mortified  if  we  thought  of  leaving 
his  house.  He  considered  us  his  guests,  and  would  feel 
highly  honored  if  we  would  accept  such  poor  quarters 
as  he  could  give,  so  long  as  we  might  choose  to  stay. 
After  making  all  allowance  for  Oriental  exaggeration, 
there  was  still  enough  left  to  justify  us  in  accepting 
the  Governor's  hospitable  offer.  Fran9ois  managed  to 
hint  delicately  to  him  that  we  were  almost  famished,  and 
an  early  dinner  would  be  very  acceptable.  Coffee  and 
pipes  were  at  once  ordered,  and  repeated  again,  with  many 
apologies  for  the  delay,  for  a  long  time  elapsed  before 
dinner  was  announced.  The  table  was  set  in  our  room,  in 
quite  the  European  style,  with  two  large  bottles  of  red 
Cretan  wine.  The  meal  was  plentiful  and  good,  although 
the  dishes  were  mostly  Turkish.  We  had  soup,  pillau, 
wild  fennel,  stewed  in  oil,  a  salad  of  spinach,  kid  with  a 
sauce  of  eggs  and  lemon  juice,  and  yaourt,  which  I  had  not 
seen  since  my  pilgrimage  through  Asia  Minor. 

We  retired  to  chibouks  and  coffee  in  the  divan,  and  then 
ensued  a  long  conversation  between  the  Governor  and 
Fran9ois,  in  alternate  Turkish  and  Greek.  I  understood 
enough  of  the  latter  language  to  see  that  F.'s  remarks  were 
dexterously  turned  to  our  advantage.  He  spoke  of  us  as 
Beyzadelis,  or  hereditary  Beys.  After  giving  an  account 
of  our  visit  to  Khania  and  the  very  hospitable  reception  of 


114  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

the  Pasha,  he  related  our  former  travels  in  the  East,  and 
added  something  about  my  journeys  in  various  parts  of  the 
world.  The  Governor  was  much  pleased  to  learn  that  I 
was  more  interested  in  the  country,  its  productions  and 
people,  than  in  its  antiquities,  concerning  which  he  seemed 
to  entertain  no  very  high  opinion.  "  But  is  that  the  Bey- 
zadeh's  only  object  in  travelling  ?"  he  asked.  "  Does  he 
not  get  tired  of  going  about  the  world  so  much  ?"  "  Tell 
his  Excellency,"  said  I,  "  that  there  is  nothing  better  than 
to  know,  from  personal  experience,  the  different  nations  of 
the  earth ;  to  learn  their  languages,  to  observe  their  cha 
racter,  habits,  and  laws,  and  thus  to  find  out  what  is  good 
in  each."  "  Mashallah,  but  that  is  true  enough,"  was  the 
answer. 

"  And  then,"  added  Fran9ois,  "  whatever  the  Beyzadeh 
sees,  or  hears,  or  experiences,  during  the  day,  he  writes 
down  at  night.  Every  day  he  writes,  and  takes  all  the 
papers  home  with  him.  You  should  just  see  him  write ! 
It  would  take  three  men  to  keep  pace  with  him — his  pen 
goes  so  fast.  He  has  made  more  than  sixty  thousand 
books,  all  about  his  travels."  "  Stop !"  said  I,  "  explain  to 
the  Governor  that  I  have  written  six  books  only,  but  that 
perhaps  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  copies  of  each  have  been 
printed  and  sold."  " Pold  prdgmata!"  (great  things!) 
ejaculated  the  Governor.  "  But,"  inquired  the  Secretary, 
"  what  does  he  make  these  books  for  ?  why  are  so  many 
of  them  sold?"  "Don't  you  see,"  said  Fran9ois,  "that 
there  are  many  millions  of  persons  in  America  who  cannot 
go  over  the  world  as  the  Beyzadeh  does,  but  they  want  to 
know  about  other  countries.  Now,  when  they  buy  one  of 


OUK   IMPRISONMENT   AT   EHITHYMNOS.  115 

these  books,  they  find  in  it  all  the  papers  which  the  Bey- 
zadeh  writes  every  night,  and  they  know  just  as  much  as 
he  does."  The  Governor  exhibited  much  more  than  the 
ordinary  Turkish  intelligence,  and  was  exceedingly  curious 
to  hear  all  the  news  of  the  world.  Fortunately,  he  had 
consideration  enough  to  retire  early  to  his  harem,  and  leave 
us  to  our  beds. 

On  the  morrow,  it  still  rained,  in  the  same  dreary,  hope 
less  manner.  The  first  thing  we  did  was  to  discharge  our 
lazy,  ignorant,  insolent  Anagnosti,  and  his  mules.  He  was 
rogue  enough  to  demand  more  than  the  price  agreed  upon 
in  Khania,  which  was  double  what  I  had  paid  in  Syria  for 
horses.  We  counted  out  the  proper  sum,  which  he  scorn 
fully  left  lying  upon  the  table,  went  out  and  got  drunk, 
and  then  came  back  and  took  it.  During  a  pause  in  the 
rain,  the  Governor  sent  a  Serjeant  with  us  to  show  us  the 
fortress,  one  of  those  massive,  irregular  Venetian  affairs, 
for  the  construction  of  which  lands  were  ruined  and  people 
robbed  and  starved.  Over  the  gate,  and  in  panels  on 
every  bastion,  was  the  proud  lion  of  St.  Mark,  his  head  in 
every  instance  knocked  off  by  the  Turks.  Splendid  bronze 
guns  lay  dismounted  on  the  ramparts,  and  even  the  neg 
lected  walls  were  cracking  and  falling  in  pieces.  The 
amount  of  labor  and  treasure  expended  by  Venice  on 
fortifications  is  almost  incredible.  No  wonder  that  the 
oppressed  Cretans  joyfully  hailed  the  Turks  as  deliverers 
from  her  iron  rule.  We  shed  poetic  tears  over  her  fall — 
we  prate  of  Turkish  barbarism,  Turkish  oppression,  Turkish 
vandalism,  when  it  is  really  Venice  that  has  despoiled  and 
impoverished  the  Levant.  Thank  God  that  she  has  fallen  I 


116  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

say  I.  Behead  the  winged  lion — let  the  harlot,  not  the 
bride  of  the  sea,  sit  in  her  ruined  palaces,  and  lament,  like 
Tyre,  for  the  galleys  that  come  no  more,  bringing  tribute 
to  her  lust ! 

The  Governor  issued  from  his  harem  at  an  early  hour 
and  came  to  join  us  at  coffee.  He  had  a  China  service, 
and  gave  us  Turkish  zerfs  of  delicate  silver  filagree  work, 
as  egg-cups.  We  had  also  hot  milk  with  our  coffee,  and 
crisp  rolls,  covered  with  grains  of  sesame.  I  was  a  little  sur 
prised  to  find  that  his  habits  were  so  much  Europeanized,  but 
the  truth  leaked  out  that  he  was  only  imitating  French  cus 
toms  temporarily,  on  our  account,  the  cups,  plates,  spoons, 
&c.,  being  borrowed  for  the  occasion,  some  of  one  person 
and  some  of  another.  Two  lieutenants  of  gend'armes,  in 
their  uniform,  acted  as  waiters,  getting  free  board  in  the 
Governor's  house,  in  consideration  of  their  services.  Their 
wages  were  150  and  300  piastres  ($6  and  $12)  a  month. 
At  midday  we  had  a  breakfast,  consisting  of  as  many 
courses  as  the  dinner,  and  composed  of  the  same  dishes. 

I  sent  my  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Bishop,  or  Despot, 
as  he  is  termed.  He  was  ill  with  rheumatism  or  gout,  but 
sent  word  that  he  would  receive  us  in  the  afternoon.  The 
Governor  politely  accompanied  us  to  his  residence.  He 
was  a  stout,  plethoric  fellow  of  sixty,  with  large  gray  eyes, 
a  venerable  gray  beard,  and  a  countenance  which  expressed 
intelligence,  shrewdness,  and  coldness.  We  were  enter 
tained  with  preserved  quinces  and  water,  followed  by  pipes 
and  coffee.  The  conversation  related  principally  to  his 
ailment,  and  is  not  worth  repeating.  Frangois  was  rather 
scandalized  because  I  ignorantly  used  the  ordinary  Greek 


OUR   IMPRISONMENT   AT   RHITHYMNOS.  117 

form  of  address,  "  e  eugeneia  sas  "  (your  nobility)  instead 
of  "  your  holiness,"  in  speaking  to  him.  The  attendants 
were  young  priests  in  apostolic  hair  and  blue  velvet  jackets. 
The  Despot  was  evidently  suffering,  and  we  made  but  a 
short  stay,  congratulating  ourselves,  as  we  left,  that  we 
had  made  choice  of  the  Governor  for  our  host. 

Towards  evening,  we  received  a  visit  from  Mr.  Wood 
ward,  the  English  engineer  who  had  charge  of  the  new 
road.  He  had  been  a  year  and  a  half  in  Crete,  and  seemed 
very  glad  to  get  a  chance  of  speaking  his  own  language 
again.  His  account  of  the  people  went  very  far  to  confirm 
my  own  impressions.  They  are  violently  opposed  to  im 
provement  of  any  kind,  and  the  road,  especially,  excited 
their  bitterest  hostility.  They  stole  his  flag-poles,  tried  to 
break  his  instruments,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  attack 
his  person.  He  was  obliged  to  carry  on  the  work  under 
the  protection  of  a  company  of  Albanian  soldiers.  The 
Cretans,  he  stated,  are  conceited  and  disputatious  in  their 
character,  to  an  astonishing  degree.  His  greatest  difficulty 
with  the  laborers  on  the  road  was  their  unwillingness  to 
be  taught  anything,  as  it  wounds  their  vanity  to  confess 
that  they  do  not  know  it  already.  They  even  advised  him 
how  to  use  his  instruments.  If  a  stone  was  to  be  lifted, 
every  man  gave  his  advice  as  to  the  method,  and  the  day 
would  have  been  spent  in  discussing  the  different  proposals, 
if  he  had  not  cut  them  short  by  threatening  to  fine  every 
man  who  uttered  another  word.  Their  pockets  are  the 
most  sensitive  portion  of  their  bodies,  and  even  vanity 
gives  way  to  preserve  them.  The  laAV  obliged  the  population 
of  each  district,  in  turn,  to  work  nine  days  annually  upon 


118  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

the  road,  or  commute  at  the  rate  of  six  piastres  a  day. 
This  was  by  no  means  an  oppressive  measure,  yet  men 
worth  their  hundreds  of  thousands  were  found  in  the  ranks 
of  the  laborers,  in  order  to  save  the  slight  tax.  Some  of 
the  villages  were  just  beginning  to  see  the  advantage  of 
the  road,  and,  had  a  few  miles  been  completed,  the  engi 
neer  thought  the  opposition  would  be  greatly  diminished. 
Nothing  but  an  enlightened  despotism  can  accomplish  any 
good  with  such  a  population. 

In  the  evening,  the  British  Consular  Agent,  an  Ionian 
Greek,  paid  us  a  visit,  and  there  was  a  long  fumarium  in 
the  Governor's  divan.  The  Agent,  waxing  confidential, 
began  explaining  to  the  Governor,  how  it  was  possible  to 
cheat  in  selling  oil.  "  When  you  buy  your  oil,"  said  he, 
"  get  the  largest  cask  you  can  find — the  very  largest  that 
is  made — and  fill  it.  You  must  have  it  standing  on  end, 
with  the  cock  quite  at  the  bottom.  When  you  sell  an  oka 
of  it,  the  pressure  forces  it  out  in  a  very  strong  stream ;  it 
becomes  inflated  with  air,  and  the  measure  is  filled  with  a 
less  quantity  of  oil.  You  can  make  a  gain  of  three  per 
cent,  in  this  way."  He  then  went  on  to  describe  other 
methods  by  which,  all  together,  the  gain  might  be  in 
creased  to  fifteen  or  twenty  per  cent.  Fran9ois  becoming 
impatient,  cried  out :  "  Now  I  see  that  the  ancient 
Greeks  were  perfectly  right,  in  having  the  same  god  for 
merchants  and  thieves !"  The  Governor  laughed  heartily, 
but  the  Agent,  considerably  nettled,  exclaimed  :  "  Do  you 
mean  to  speak  of  me  as  a  thief?"  "  No,"  answered 
Fran9ois,  with  the  greatest  coolness ;  "  I  speak  of  you  as 
a  merchant."  At  this  the  Governor  laughed  still  more 


OUR   IMPRISONMENT   IN   RHITHYMNOS.  119 

loudly,  and  the  discomfited  Agent  was  obliged,  by  Oriental 
politeness,  to  laugh  too. 

The  same  person  attacked  Fra^ois  violently  for  his 
disbelief  in  the  annual  Easter  miracle  at  Jerusalem,  pro 
claiming  that  the  fire  actually  came  down  from  Heaven, 
and  none  but  an  infidel  could  doubt  it.  The  belief  in  this 
blasphemous  imposture,  I  may  here  remark,  is  almost  uni 
versal  among  the  Greeks.  F.,  who  has  a  hearty  detesta 
tion  of  all  Christian  paganism,  broke  out  with,  "  A  miracle, 
indeed !  I  can  perform  as  great  a  miracle  with  a  lucifer 
match.  Ask  the  patriarch  of  Jerusalem  if  he  knows  what 
phosphorus  is  !  If  he  can  turn  Mount  Ida  into  a  lump  of 
cheese,  so  that  we  can  all  cut  from  it  as  long  as  we  like,  I 
should  call  that  a  miracle  worth  something — but  you  go  to 
Jerusalem  and  pay  five  hundred  dollars  to  save  your  soul, 
by  lighting  a  candle  at  his  lying  bit  of  wax  !"  The  Gover 
nor,  who  had  been  at  Jerusalem,  enjoyed  the  dispute,  until 
he  found  the  parties  were  getting  too  much  excited,  when 
he  adroitly  changed  the  subject. 

On  Monday  morning  the  weather  changed,  but  for  the 
worse.  A  violent  storm  of  wind  and  rain  set  in,  which 
continued  the  whole  day  and  night,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  next  day,  making  us  compulsory  guests  of  the 
Governor.  I  was  at  first  rather  embarrassed  at  this  long 
trespass  upon  his  hospitality,  but  finding  he  was  quite 
wealthy,  and  judging  that  our  visit  was  rather  a  pleasant 
interruption  to  the  monotony  of  his  life,  than  otherwise, 
resigned  myself  to  our  fate.  His  kindness  and  courtesy, 
in  fact,  never  flagged,  and  we  should  have  been  much 
more  comfortable  had  he  been  less  anxious  to  show  us 


120  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

attention.  After  coffee,  we  must  sit  in  his  divan  until  the 
hour  for  Council  arrived.  On  his  return  therefrom,  he 
sent  to  let  us  know,  and  ask  if  we  would  not  take  a  pipe 
with  him.  The  afternoon  was  passed  in  the  same  manner, 
and  the  evening  devoted  entirely  to  pipes  and  conversa 
tion.  Our  room  was  so  cold  and  leaky,  that  our  only  alter 
native  was  the  divan  and  its  restraints.  Seeing,  on  Tues 
day,  that  there  was  no  hope  of  change  in  the  weather,  I 
proposed  to  engage  mules  for  Megalokastron,  or  Candia, 
but  the  Governor  refused  to  send  for  them.  "  What  would 
the  Pasha  say,"  said  he,  "  if  I  should  let  you  depart  now  ? 
No,  you  are  here,  and  here  you  shall  stay  until  the  weather 
is  better."  On  the  fifth  morning,  finally,  when  the  storm 
had  somewhat  abated,  although  a  heavy  sea  thundered  on 
the  beach,  I  prevailed  upon  him  to  order  mules  for  us. 

With  the  aid  of  Franyois,  I  managed  to  give  the  Gover 
nor  a  tolerably  clear  idea  of  our  country  and  its  form  of 
government,  and  to  obtain  from  him,  in  return,  some  infor 
mation  concerning  the  administration  of  Crete.  The  only 
tax,  it  appears,  is  that  paid  in  kind,  by  the  agricultural 
population — one-tenth  of  the  produce.  Not  only  is  there 
no  direct  tax  on  real  estate,  but  trade  of  all  kinds  is  entirely 
exempt,  and  pays  nothing.  In  Greece,  the  burdens  are 
much  heavier,  for  the  agricultural  tax  is  the  same,  and  in 
addition,  all  sorts  of  trades  and  occupations  are  made  to 
pay  heavily  for  their  license.  The  revenue  of  Crete  is 
about  half  a  million  of  dollars  annually,  which  is  just  about 
sufficient  to  pay  the  expenses  of  its  Government.  Were  a 
just  and  equal  system  of  taxation  introduced,  the  revenue 
might  be  doubled  without  oppressing  the  people.  The 


OUK   IMPRISONMENT    IN    EIlITHYMNOS.  121 

direct  tendency  of  the  present  system  is  to  discourage  the 
most  important  branch  of  industry.  Crete  is  one  of  the 
richest  islands  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  there  is  no  reason 
why  it  should  not  support  now,  as  it  once  did,  a  population 
of  a  million. 

We  often  hear  it  stated  that  the  reforms  which  the  Sul 
tan  has  sanctioned,  are  only  so  many  paper  proclamations, 
which  are  never  actually  put  in  force.  This  has  been  very 
much  the  case  in  European  Turkey  and  Asia-Minor,  here 
tofore,  but  a  new  order  of  things  is  commencing.  The 
Hattihumayoon,  or-  bill  of  Religious  Liberty,  promulgated 
just  two  years  previous,  was  in  full  force  in  Crete  at  the 
time  of  my  visit.  Singularly  enough,  the  greatest  opposi 
tion  to  it  arose  from  the  Christian,  not  the  Turkish,  popu 
lation.  A  conspiracy  was  already  on  foot  to  procure  the 
removal  of  Vely  Pasha,  because  while  he  had  allowed  tico 
hundred  and  forty  families  of  Cretan  Turks  to  embrace 
Christianity,  he  had  protected  some  five  or  six  Christians 
who  voluntarily  became  Moslems,  from  the  fanaticism  of 
the  Greek  mob.  "  In  Europe,''  said  he  to  me,  "  we  are 
called  fanatical  and  intolerant,  but  I  sincerely  think  we  are 
less  so  than  the  Oriental  Christians.  I  consider  the  Hatti- 
humayoon  a  just  and  necessary  measure,  and  am  deter 
mined  to  keep  it  in  force,  and  it  is  discouraging  to  find 
that  the  very  people  who  are  the  most  benefited  by  it,  con 
spire  to  thwart  me."  He  had  given,  under  the  Sultan's 
direction,  100,000  piastres  towards  the  building  of  the  new 
Greek  Cathedral  in  Khania.  What  Christian  government 
ever  helped  to  build  a  mosque  ?  What  Catholic  country 
ever  gave  funds  to  a  Protestant  Church  ?  Let  us,  heredi- 

6 


122  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

tary  Pharisees   that  we  are,  learn  a  lesson  of  Christian 
tolerance  from  the  infidel ! 

On  the  sixth  morning  we  broke  away  from  Rhithymnos, 
against  the  good  Governor's  will.  But  five  days  had 
exhausted  our  patience,  and  some  gleams  of  sunshine, 
touching  with  gold  the  solitary  snowy  cone  of  the  Cretan 
Ida,  set  us  in  motion.  Our  destination  was  the  Grotto  of 
Melidoni,  then  the  ruins  of  Gortynna,  and  the  conjectured 
site  of  the  famous  Labyrinth. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  CAVERNS,  MOUNTAINS,  AND  LABYRINTHS 
OF   CRETE. 

THE  village  of  Melidoni,  where  we  stopped  on  the  after 
noon  of  our  departure  from  Rhithymnos,  lies  in  the  midst 
of  a  very  beautiful  and  fertile  valley,  between  Mount  Ida 
and  a  group  of  barren  hills  on  the  coast.  It  was  a  very 
flourishing  place  before  the  Revolution,  but  is  now  for  the 
most  part  a  heap  of  ruins.  The  houses  are  built  on  a  flat 
foundation  of  solid  rock.  We  threaded  the  narrow  lanes 
to  a  sort  of  cafe,  where  a  group  of  lazy  villagers  were  col 
lected,  and  waited  while  Hadji  Bey  went  off  to  summon  the 
Governor.  The  latter  came  after  a  while,  looking  flushed 
and  bewildered;  he  had  been  drunk,  and  was  trying  to 
appear  as  if  he  had  not  been.  He  was  quite  a  young  man, 
and  a  brother  of  one  of  the  Pasha's  secretaries.  He  imme 
diately  treated  us  to  coffee  of  burnt  barley,  and  then  con 
ducted  us  to  his  house,  which  had  an  upper  room,  dry  and 
tolerably  decent.  It  was  too  late  to  visit  the  celebrated 
grotto  of  Melidoni,  which  is  in  the  side  of  a  mountain  to 


124  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE    AND   RUSSIA. 

the  westward,  so  I  went  upon  the  house-top,  and  succeeded 
in  getting  a  sketch  of  Mount  Ida,  between  the  showers  of 
rain.  It  rose  in  one  splendid,  sweeping  peak  of  unbroken 
snow,  from  a  base  of  lower  summits,  girdling  the  central 
cone.  Under  these,  again,  were  bare  and  bleak  masses, 
glooming  blue  and  purple  in  the  shadows  of  heavy  clouds, 
while  Ida  shone  with  an  angry  lustre  in  the  streaks  of  sun 
set  light  which  came  and  went,  as  we  gazed.  This  was  our 
only  near  view  of  the  glorious  mountain,  though  we  after 
wards  scaled  many  of  its  rugged  buttresses. 

Ismail  Bey,  the  Governor,  gave  us  a  good  dinner  in  the 
evening,  with  many  apologies  that  he  could  not  entertain 
us  more  worthily.  The  Greek  priest  and  some  subordinate 
officials  came  to  pay  their  respects,  and  the  former  very 
courteously  assisted  the  servants  in  waiting  upon  the  table. 
His  own  fare  was  confined  to  olives  and  some  of  our  caviar, 
but  he  drank  his  share  of  the  wine,  and  heaped  our  plates 
with  the  forbidden  flesh.  We  had  already  given  up  eating 
ham,  except  in  a  raw  state,  out  of  consideration  for  Hadji 
Bey,  who  was  nearly  starved  whenever  we  had  any  of  it 
cooked.  Noticing  that  he  looked  with  a  longing  eye  at  the 
wine,  Franyois  offered  him  a  glass.  He  had  previously 
declined,  like  a  good  Mussulman,  but  this  time  he  said,  "  If 
you  will  not  report  it  at  Khania,'5  and  swallowed  the  beve 
rage  with  great  satisfaction.  The  most  genial  and  fraternal 
spirit  pervaded  the  party,  and  there  was  every  evidence  of 
the  truth  of  what  I  had  heard — that  the  Christians  and 
Turks  of  Crete,  in  the  villages,  live  together  in  the  most 
amicable  manner.  It  is  not  always  easy  to  distinguish  them, 
outwardly.  Many  of  the  Turks  have  Christian  names,  and 


THE   CAVERNS,    MOUNTAINS,    ETC.,    OF   CRETE.  125 

even  have  their  children  baptized  by  the  Christian  priests. 
There  is  little  of  that  bitterness  of  feeling  between  them 
which  exists  in  other  parts  of  the  Ottoman  Empire.  In  the 
course  of  the  evening,  the  priest  asked  me :  "  Did  Your 
Brilliancies  come  to  Crete  in  your  own  steamer,  or  did  you 
hire  one  of  the  Austrians  ?"  The  Governor  gave  us  his 
own  bed,  and  retired  to  lodge  in  a  friend's  house. 

He  was  very  anxious  that  I  should  take  his  portrait,  and 
I  could  do  no  less  than  comply,  in  the  morning.  The  like 
ness  was  admitted  by  all  the  villagers  to  be  very  good,  but 
he  was  greatly  disappointed  because  I  did  not  represent 
his  light-blue  undercoat,  which  was  covered  by  another  of 
a  darker  color  !  His  secretary,  a  Christian,  stood  near  me, 
and  very  kindly  suggested  what  colors  I  should  use.  Some 
drawings  of  seaports  which  he  had  made  were  pasted  on 
the  walls,  and,  thinking  that  he -might  have  some  little 
talent  that  way,  I  explained  to  him  that  his  houses  should  be 
made  with  upright  lines,  or  they  would  appear  to  be  tum 
bling  down ;  but  no,  he  knew  better,  the  houses  were  right. 
He  knew  all  about  drawing,  and  nobody  could  teach  him 
anything. 

We  walked  up  to  the  cave  in  the  rain,  accompanied  by 
three  or  four  of  the  villagers.  Notwithstanding  the 
entrance  is  in  full  view  from  the  valley,  they  lost  their  way 
in  climbing  the  mountain.  The  grotto  of  Melidoni  is  said 
to  be  almost  equal,  in  extent  and  beauty,  to  that  of  Anti- 
paros.  It  was  dedicated  of  old  to  the  Tallsean  Hermes,  in 
an  inscription  which  is  said  still  to  exist,  near  the  entrance, 
although  I  looked  in  vain  for  it.  In  modern  times,  it  has 
obtained  a  melancholy  notoriety  from  the  fate  of  the  inha- 


126  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

bitants  of  Melidoni,  who  took  refuge  in  it  during  the  rebel 
lion  against  the  Turks.  In  1822,  when  Hussein  Bey 
marched  upon  the  village,  the  inhabitants,  to  the  number 
of  three  hundred,  took  refuge  in  the  cave,  taking  with 
them  their  valuables,  and  provisions  sufficient  for  six 
months.  The  entrance  is  so  narrow  and  steep  that  they 
were  perfectly  secured  against  an  attack,  and  the  Turks, 
in  their  first  attempt,  lost  twenty-five  men.  Finding  that 
they  refused  submission  on  any  terms,  Hussein  Bey  ordered 
a  quantity  of  combustibles  to  be  brought  to  the  entrance 
and  set  on  fire.  The  smoke,  rolling  into  the  cavern  in 
immense  volumes,  drove  the  miserable  fugitives  into  the 
remoter  chambers,  where  they  lingered  a  little  while  longer, 
but  were  all  eventually  suffocated.  The  Turks  waited 
some  days,  but  still  did  not  dare  to  enter,  and  a  Greek 
captive  was  finally  sent  down,  on  the  promise  of  his  life 
being  spared.  The  Turks  then  descended  and  plundered 
the  bodies.  A  week  afterwards,  three  natives  of  the  village 
stole  into  the  cavern  to  see  what  had  become  of  their 
friends  and  relatives.  It  is  said  that  they  were  so  over 
come  by  the  terrible  spectacle,  that  two  of  them  died 
within  a  few  days.  Years  afterwards,  when  the  last  ves 
tiges  of  the  insurrection  had  been  suppressed,  the  Arch 
bishop  of  Crete  blessed  the  cavern,  making  it  consecrated 
ground,  and  the  bones  of  the  victims  were  gathered  together 
and  partially  covered  up,  in  the  outer  chamber. 

After  crawling  under  the  low  arch  of  the  entrance,  we 
found  ourselves  at  the  top  of  a  very  steep  and  slippery 
plane,  about  fifty  yards  in  depth.  The  descent  was  a  mat 
ter  requiring  precaution,  especially  as  the  vaulted  roof  kept 


THE   CAVERNS,    MOUNTAINS,    ETC.,    OF   CKSTE.  127 

the  same  level,  and  our  wax  tapers  were  more  and  more 
feeble  in  the  yawning  gloom.  At  last,  we  reached  a  level 
floor,  and  found  ourselves  in  a  vast  elliptical  hall,  about 
eighty  feet  in  height,  and  propped  in  the  centre  by  an 
enormous  stalactitic  pillar.  On  all  sides,  the  stalactites 
hung  like  fluted  curtains  from  the  very  roof,  here  in  broad, 
sheeted  masses,  there  dropping  into  single  sharp  folds,  but 
all  on  a  scale  of  Titanic  grandeur.  As  our  eyes  became 
accustomed  to  the  gloom,  the  roof  expanded  into  loftier 
arches,  and  through  the  Gothic  portals  opening  on  our  left 
gleamed  spectrally  the  pillars  of  deeper  halls.  Rounded 
bases  of  stalagmite  arose  on  all  sides,  some  almost  within 
reach  of  the  giant  icicles  which  grew  downward  to  meet 
them,  while  a  few  others  had  already  touched,  and  re 
sembled  a  water-spout,  the  column  of  which  is  about  to 
part  in  the  middle.  Under  these  grand  and  silent  arches, 
under  the  black  banners  of  eternal  Night,  lay  heaped  the 
mouldering  skulls  and  bones  of  the  poor  Christians.  They 
could  not  have  had  a  more  appropriate  sepulchre. 

Following  our  guides,  we  entered  a  smaller  hall,  superbly 
hung  with  drapery  of  gleaming  alabaster,  and  then,  crawl 
ing  along  a  low  passage  and  down  an  almost  perpendicular 
descent  of  about  fifteen  feet,  found  ourselves  in  the  great 
hall  of  the  cavern,  which  is  150  feet  long  and  about  100 
feet  high.  The  rock  is  almost  entirely  hidden  under  the 
immense  masses  of  stalactite,  which  here  take  the  wildest 
and  most  startling  forms.  Indeed,  as  a  specimen  of  stalac 
titic  formation,  the  cavern  surpasses  anything  which  I  have 
ever  seen.  The  floor  of  the  last  hall  is  composed  of  large 
masses  of  rock  which  have  fallen  from  above,  and  descends 


128  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AXD   RUSSIA. 

rapidly  to  the  further  end,  Avhere  there  are  three  small 
chambers.  Here  the  last  of  the  victims  perished,  reached 
even  there  by  the  stifling  fumes  of  sulphur  and  resin 
kindled  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave.  Skulls  rolled  away  under 
our  feet,  and  on  one  of  the  stalagmites  lay  a  long,  thick 
braid  of  woman's  hair.  The  atmosphere  was  heavy  and 
stifling,  and  a  sickening  odor  of  mortality  still  exhaled  from 
the  ghastly  remains.  We  returned  to  the  entrance  hall, 
and  then  explored  another  branch,  which  terminates  in  a 
deep  pit,  down  which  you  see  the  fluted  white  curtains, 
fold  falling  behind  fold — the  roof,  apparently,  of  still  deeper 
halls,  which  have  never  yet  been  explored.  Many  of  the 
largest  stalactites  were  broken  off  by  the  earthquake  which 
desolated  Crete  in  October,  1856.  Another  beautiful  ap 
pearance  in  this  part  of  the  cavern  was  that  of  a  series  of 
frozen  cascades,  falling  in  broad,  thin  sheets  from  the 
horizontal  shelves  of  rock.  Greatly  as  we  were  impressed 
by  these  wonders,  however,  we  were  not  sorry  when  our 
exploration  was  at  an  end,  and  we  could  climb  the  slippery 
plane  to  daylight  again. 

Ismail  Bey  had  in  the  meantime  killed  a  fine  turkey  for 
us,  and  we  were  obliged  to  postpone  our  departure  until  it 
was  cooked.  The  priest  again  ate  with  us,  and  compla 
cently  munched  his  olives  while  we  attacked  the  succulent 
quarters  of  the  fowl  which  the  Governor  laid  before  us.  At 
noon,  we  started  in  the  rain  for  Axos,  the  distance  whereof 
from  Melidoni  it  was  impossible  to  ascertain,  some  saying  it 
was  two,  some  three,  and  some  six  hours.  A  violent  dis 
cussion  at  once  arose,  and  I  became  convinced  that  if  the 
Cretans  are  not  liars,  according  to  Epimenides  and  St. 


THE  CAVERNS,  MOUNTAINS,  ETC.,  OF  CKETE.      129 

Paul,  they  at  least  call  themselves  so.  Our  road,  for  some 
distance,  led  through  a  wild,  broken,  but  remarkably  fertile 
region,  through  orchards  of  immense  olive,  interspersed 
with  clumps  of  plane  and  crab-trees,  the  former  completely 
overgrown  with  gigantic  grape-vines.  Some  of  the  olive- 
trunks  were  full  six  feet  in  diameter,  showing  an  age  of 
from  ten  to  fifteen  centuries.  The  ground  was  strewed 
with  limbs  broken  off  by  the  snow.  This  forcible  pruning, 
however,  will  rather  benefit  the  trees  than  otherwise,  as  the 
people  are  in  the  habit  of  leaving  them  entirely  to  nature, 
when,  by  judicious  pruning,  their  yield  might  be  greatly 
increased.  Seven  years  ago,  the  olive-trees  in  Attica  were 
so  much  injured  by  a  cold  winter,  that  it  was  necessary  to 
cut  off  all  the  tops.  For  two  or  three  years,  the  people 
lost  their  crops,  but  now  the  trees  produce  as  they  have 
never  done  before.  In  the  district  of  Melidoni,  during  the 
winter,  upwards  of  12,000  sheep  and  goats  had  perished 
from  the  cold. 

We  at  last  came  upon  the  large,  rapid  river  of  Axos,  the 
"  rapidum  Cretce  veniemus  Oaxen"  of  Virgil,  which  we 
were  obliged  to  ford  twice.  Passing  a  picturesque  foun 
tain,  shaded  by  plane-trees,  we  climbed  up  a  steep,  rocky 
hill  to  the  village  of  Gharazo.  This  place,  which  is  cele 
brated  for  the  beauty  of  its  women,  contains  many  fine  old 
ruined  buildings,  ^apparently  of  the  Venetian  time.  The 
three  women  we  saw  were  hideous  creatures,  greatly  to  our 
disappointment.  We  stopped  at  the  house  of  the  captain 
of  the  village,  where  Hadji  Bey  wished  us  to  halt  for  the 
night,  as  the  rain  was  increasing,  but  the  captain  cruelly 
said  to  him  :  "  I  wish  you  would  pay  me  for  the  last  time 


130  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

you  were  here."  I  determined  to  push  on  to  Axos,  but  aa 
everybody  gave  us  a  different  direction,  we  were  obliged  to 
hire  a  villager  as  guide.  Hadji  Bey  was  rather  disconsolate 
at  the  prospect,  and  sang  no  more  of  his  doleful  songs  of 
love  that  day.  We  now  commenced  ascending  the  north 
ern  spurs  of  Ida,  and  the  scenery  was  of  the  wildest  and 
grandest  kind,  though  dreary  enough  in  the  pelting  rain, 
which  increased  every  hour.  All  the  steep  mountain  slopes, 
far  and  near,  were  covered  with  vineyards,  which  produce 
the  excellent  red  Cretan  wine.  There  are  fortunes  to  be 
made  by  some  one  who  has  enterprise  and  skill  enough  to 
undertake  the  business  of  properly  preparing  and  exporting 
the  wines  of  Crete. 

The  vines,  I  learned,  are  much  more  exempt  from 
disease  than  in  Greece  and  the  Ionian  Islands.  They  are 
subject,  however,  to  the  ravages  of  a  caterpillar,  for  the 
expulsion  of  which,  when  all  other  means  have  failed,  a 
singular  superstition  is  employed.  The  insects  are  formally 
summoned  to  appear  before  the  judicial  tribunal  of  the  dis 
trict,  in  order  to  be  tried  for  their  trespasses,  and  the  fear 
of  a  legal  prosecution,  it  is  believed,  will  cause  them  to 
cease  at  once  from  their  ravages !  If  this  be  true,  cater 
pillars  are  the  most  sagacious  of  vermin.  In  some  parts  of 
Crete,  a  not  less  singular  remedy  is  applied.  It  is  one  of 
those  peculiar  customs  which  most  travellers,  like  the 
historian  Gibbon,  express  "  in  the  decent  obscurity  of  a 
learned  language ;"  but  I  do  not  know  why  I  should  not 
say  that  the  remedy  consists  in  an  immodest  exposure  on 
the  part  of  the  women,  whereat  the  worms  are  so  shocked 
that  they  drop  from  the  vines,  wriggle  themselves  into  the 
earth,  and  are  seen  no  more. 


THE   CAVJEKNS,    MOUNTAINS,    ETC.,    OF   CRETE.  131 

After  riding  for  nearly  two  hours  along  a  lofty  comb,  we 
approached  the  wild  gorge  once  crowned  by  the  ancient 
Axos,  through  scattering  groves  of  fine  oak-trees.  The 
only  ruins  in  the  modern  village  are  a  Byzantine  chapel 
and  some  Roman  brick-work,  but  there  is  a  small  fragment 
of  Cyclopean  wall  on  the  summit  above.  We  rode  at 
once  to  the  captain  of  the  village,  who  invited  us  into  his 
house,  or  rather  den,  for  it  was  a  long,  low  pile  of  stones, 
heaped  against  a  rock,  without  window  or  chimney.  The 
interior  was  divided  into  several  compartments,  some  for 
beasts  and  some  for  men — the  former  being  more  comfort 
able  than  the  latter.  We  crept  into  the  dark  hovel,  where 
we  were  at  least  secure  against  the  rain,  except  such  as 
came  through  two  holes  in  the  roof,  out  of  which  a  portion 
of  the  smoke  escaped.  The  captain,  an  old  Christian,  dirty 
enough  to  be  a  saint  of  the  Greek  Church,  and  with  a  long, 
venerable  white  beard,  kindled  a  fire  to  dry  our  wet 
clothes,  giving  us  the  alternative  of  either  being  blinded 
by  the  smoke  or  returning  into  the  rain.  Finally,  the  wet 
wood  burned  into  coals,  Fran9ois  fried  some  eggs,  the 
village  supplied  excellent  wine,  and  we  made  our  hermitage 
as  endurable  as  possible.  The  captain,  whom  we  were 
obliged  to  invite  to  dinner,  made  inroads  upon  our  stock 
of  caviar,  the  only  thing  he  dared  eat.  He  had  a  spacious 
bedroom,  which  we  hoped  to  occupy ;  but  he  had  not  yet 
learned  Turkish  hospitality,  and  we  were  obliged  to  sleep 
in  the  kitchen,  with  the  rain  trickling  through  the  roof 
upon  our  heads.  A  number  of  the  villagers  came  during 
the  evening,  to  stare  at  us,  and  ask  questions.  We  endea 
vored  to  get  some  information  from  them  respecting  the 


132  TRAVELS    IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

road  to  Heracleon,  but  finally  gave  tip  the  attempt  in 
despair.  Frar^ois  completely  lost  his  patience,  and  pro 
tested  that  in  the  whole  course  of  his  life  he  had  never 
lodged  in  such  holes,  or  been  brought  into  contact  with 
such  a  rascally  set  of  people.  St.  Paul,  referring  to  the 
Cretan  poet  Epimenides,  says  :  "  One  of  themselves,  even 
a  prophet  of  their  own  said,  The  Cretans  are  always  liars, 
evil  beasts,  slow  bellies.  This  witness  is  true."  It  is  just 
as  true  at  the  present  day,  as  applied  to  the  Cretan 
Christians,  and  to  many,  but  not  all,  of  the  Turks.  I 
scarcely  know  which  disgusted  me  more,  during  the 
journey — the  beastly  manner  of  life  of  the  Cretans  and 
their  filthy  bodily  habits,  or  their  brazen  falsehood  and 
egregious  vanity. 

In  the  morning,  it  rained  as  before,  but  I  was  determined 
to  leave  Axos,  even  if  we  had  to  take  refuge  in  a  similar 
den.  The  muleteers,  nevertheless,  refused  to  stir.  "  Kill 
us,  if  you  like,"  they  said,  "  but  we  will  not  move  in  such 
weather."  I  gave  them  until  noon  to  decide,  declaring 
that  I  should  then  take  a  mule,  ride  to  Heracleon,  and 
return  for  them  with  half-a-dozen  Albanian  soldiers.  Fran- 
9ois,  however,  employed  the  more  potent  argument  of  a 
jug  of  wine,  and,  in  proportion  as  they  grew  wet  within, 
they  became  indifferent  to  the  wet  without.  At  noon,  they 
were  ready.  The  villagers  brought  us  a  great  number  of 
coins,  Greek,  Roman,  Arabic  and  Venetian  ;  they  were 
mostly  obliterated,  but  I  succeeded  in  finding  some  copper 
pieces  with  the  symbols  of  ancient  Axos  upon  them.  The 
captain  demanded  an  exorbitant  price  for  the  use  of  his 
house,  and  the  quarrel  which  ensued  made  us  regret  again 


THE  CA VEENS,  MOUNTAINS,  ETC.,  OF  CRETE.     133 

that  we  were  not  among  the  Turks.  We  had  engaged  a 
man  as  guide  to  the  next  village  of  Kamariotes,  and  when 
we  were  about  to  start,  he  coolly  turned  to  the  villagers 
and  asked :  "  Which  way  must  I  go  ?  I  never  was  there 
but  once,  and  that  was  in  the  night !"  He  had  previously 
told  us  that  he  knew  every  step  of  the  road. 

We  passed  through  the  gap  behind  Axos,  and  then 
turned  eastward  into  the  heart  of  the  wild,  barren  moun 
tains.  It  was  no  road,  but  a  stony  ladder,  which  we 
traversed,  and  any  animal  but  a  Cretan  mule  would  have 
broken  his  neck  in  the  first  half  mile.  We  kept  along  one 
of  the  spurs  of  Ida,  near  the  line  of  snow,  through,  a  dreary 
wilderness,  for  two  hours,  when  we  reached  the  next 
village.  It  was  a  miserable  forlorn  place,  and  the  lanes 
between  the  houses  were  so  deep  in  snow  that  it  was 
impossible  to  pass  through  them.  We  learned,  however, 
that  there  was  another  place,  called  Asterakia,  three  or 
four  miles  further,  and  determined  to  push  on.  Upon 
hearing  this  announcement,  Hadji  Bey,  whose  whining 
love-plaints  had  already  been  soaked  out  of  him,  became 
desperate.  "  I  forbid  you,"  he  shouted  to  Frai^ois  ;  "  / 
have  charge  of  the  Beyzadehs,  and  they  shall  stop  here  !" 
We  laughed,  turned  our  mules'  heads,  and  went  on,  whis 
tling.  Looking  back,  after  we  had  gone  half  a  mile,  we  saw 
the  Hadji  and  the  baggage  mules  following  us  in  sad, 
funereal  procession.  After  crossing  another  ridge,  a  long, 
cheerful  valley,  sprinkled  with  groves  of  noble  oaks,  brought 
us  to  Asterakia — "  The  Little  Star,"  but  a  more  appropriate 
name  would  be  "  The  Little  Dunghill." 

We  went  into  the  captain's  house.     The  first  room  was 


134  TBAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

a  stable,  containing  two  asses  and  four  pigs.  Through 
this  we  reached  a  small  windowless  den,  where  two  of  the 
ancient  Muses  were  baking  bread,  while  a  sick  man  lay 
upon  a  floor,  under  a  heap  of  thorny  furze.  The  women 
seemed  angry  at  our  intrusion,  and  I  sent  Fra^ois  to  seek 
other  lodgings,  but  he  soon  returned,  saying  that  this  was 
a  palace  compared  to  the  other  dwellings.  The  captain, 
who  was  very  anxious  that  we  should  stay,  gave  his  com 
mands,  and  the  tragic  Muses  immediately  became  comic, 
in  their  cheerfulness.  We  gave  some  advice  to  the  sick 
man,  who  had  a  violent  cold,  with  some  fever,  but  the 
women  said :  "  It  is  no  use  giving  him  anything ;  if  he 
don't  get  well,  he  will  die."  They  baked  their  bread  in  a 
small  oven,  heated  with  dry  broom  and  furze.  The  neigh 
bors  came  in  to  witness  our  dinner,  and  partake  of  our 
caviar,  which  was  an  unheard-of  delicacy  in  those  parts. 
They  were  a  lively,  good-humored  set,  but  had  the  same 
fatal  inability  to  answer  a  question.  I  asked  one  how  far 
it  was  to  Heracleon,  but  he  answered  that  he  had  never 
been  there  in  all  his  life. 

We  were  now,  fortunately,  within  an  easy  day's  journey 
of  the  town,  and  when  the  morning  dawned  with  a  lower 
ing  sky,  but  without  rain,  we  encountered  no  opposition 
from  our  guard  and  attendants.  The  road  led  over  wild 
mountain  ridges  for  some  miles,  when  we  struck  upon  the 
basiliko  dromos,  or  Royal  Road,  from  Rhithymnos  to 
Heracleon.  It  is  an  old  Venetian  way,  roughly  paved  in 
parts,  so  that  the  rugged  mountain  side  is  preferred  by 
the  mules.  At  last,  from  a  ridge  at  the  foot  of  Stromboli, 
a  conspicuous  conical  peak,  we  saw  the  sea  again,  and  the 


THE  CAVERNS,  MOUNTAINS,  ETC.,  OF  CRETE.     135 

warm,  green  plain  of  Candia,  lying  far  below  us.  To  the 
south-east,  out  of  the  plain,  rose  the  dark,  isolated  mass 
of  Mount  Juktas,  the  sepulchre  of  Jupiter.  Behind  us, 
under  the  eaves  of  the  clouds,  glimmered  the  snows  of  Ida, 
his  birthplace.  The  remains  of  the  tomb  of  the  "  Father 
of  gods  and  men,"  who  was  worshipped  in  Crete  as  late  as 
the  eighth  century,  are  still  to  be  seen  on  the  summit  of 
Juktas — a  parallelogram  of  hewn  stones,  eighty  feet  in 
length. 

Eleven  days  of  continuous  rain  had  given  us  a  surfeit 
of  Cretan  travel,  besides  which  the  mountain  roads  were 
becoming  impassable,  and  the  streams  too  high  to  be 
forded.  I  therefore  renounced  my  project  of  visiting  the 
ruins  of  Gortyna,  on  the  southern  side  of  Mount  Ida. 
In  themselves,  the  remains  of  the  ancient  city  are  insig 
nificant,  but  in  the  adjacent  mountain  there  is  an  excava 
tion,  known  all  over  Crete  as  "  The  Labyrinth."  We 
know  that  the  famous  labyrinth  constructed  by  Da3dalus 
was  in  the  vicinity  of  Cnossus,  the  site  of  which  is  about 
three  miles  from  Heracleon,  and  plainly  visible  from  its 
walls.  There  are  numerous  caves  in  the  neighboring  hills, 
which  may  have  given  rise  to  the  tradition  ;  but  the 
labyrinth  of  Gortyna  is  undoubtedly  a  work  of  art.  It  is 
of  great  extent,  and  the  exploration  of  it  is  a  work  of  some 
danger,  owing  to  the  number  and  intricacy  of  the  various 
passages.  The  English  engineer  at  Rhithymnos,  who 
explored  it  by  means  of  a  bag  of  chaff,  which  he  scattered 
as  he  went,  considers  it  to  have  been  a  quarry.  The 
natives  are  frequently  bewildered  and  lost  in  it,  and  hence 
they  never  enter  it  without  fear.  This  place  exhibits 


136  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

certainly  all  the  characteristics  of  the  fabulous  labyrinth, 
except  its  location.  On  the  latter  ground,  I  believe 
antiquaries  reject  it  entirely.  The  symbol  on  the  coins 
of  Gortyna  is  Europa  and  the  bull,  while  those  of  Cnossus 
have  a  ground-plan  of  the  labyrinth  on  the  obverse.  I 
procured  one  of  the  latter  at  Axos. 

I  learned  that  a  splendid  sarcophagus  had  been  recently 
exhumed  near  Hierapetra  (the  ancient  Hieraptyna),  on  the 
southern  shore  of  the  island.  The  sides  contain  bas-reliefs 
representing  the  combat  for  the  shield  of  Achilles.  It 
was  at  Arvi,  near  the  same  place  that  the  sarcophagus  with 
the  triumphal  procession  of  Bacchus,  now  in  the  Museum 
at  Oxford,  was  found.  It  would  be  a  very  easy  matter, 
said  my  informant,  to  get  possession  of  this  interesting 
relic,  and  smuggle  it  out  of  the  island.  I  mention  this 
fact  for  the  benefit  of  those  especially  interested  in  such 
matters. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

TWO      DAYS     WITH     AN     AKC  II  BISHOP. 

THE  chief  city  of  Crete  is  known  in  Europe  by  its  Ve 
netian  name  of  Candia,  which  during  the  Middle  Ages 
was  applied  to  the  whole  island.  The  country  people, 
however,  invariably  speak  of  it  as  Megalo-kastron,  or  the 
Great  Fortress,  while  the  educated  Greeks,  both  in  Crete 
and  elsewhere,  have  restored  the  ancient  name  of  Hera- 
cleion,  which  was  a  small  seaport,  near  Cnossus.  Of  these 
names,  the  latter  is  preferable,  and  I  therefore  employ  it. 
Both  among  Greeks  and  Turks,  the  island  has  always 
retained  the  name  of  "  Crete,"  instead  of  the  bastard  Ve 
netian  name  of  "  Candia,"  which  is  only  just  beginning  to 
be  relinquished  in  Europe.  The  latter  word  is  never 
heard  in  the  Orient,  and  we  have  no  longer  any  right  to 
use  it.  I  have  given  the  classic  name  as  the  only  correct 
one. 

At  Heracleion,  as  at  Rhithymnos,  I  was  provided  with 
a  double  recommendation,  through  the  kindness  of  Vely 
Pasha,  and  the  choice  of  taking  up  my  abode  either  with 


138  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

the  Turkish  Governor,  or  the  venerable  Metropolitan 
(Archbishop)  of  Crete.  The  hate  manifested  towards  the 
latter  by  the  bigoted  Greek  party  in  the  island,  and  their 
intrigues  to  have  him  removed  by  the  Patriarch  of  the 
Church,  at  Constantinople,  convinced  me  that  he  must  be 
a  good  man,  and  I  therefore  determined  to  claim  his 
hospitality.  We  reached  the  city  early  in  the  afternoon, 
in  a  very  battered  and  rusty  condition,  splashed  with 
mud  from  head  to  foot,  and,  as  we  threaded  the  streets 
on  our  jaded  mules,  were  the  objects  of  general  curiosity. 
Travellers  are  yet  so  scarce  in  Crete  as  to  be  personages  of 
some  importance.  Hadji  Bey  guided  us  to  the  Metropoli 
tan's  residence,  a  large,  rambling  building,  with  three  sepa 
rate  court-yards,  a  chapel  and  large  garden.  His  Holi 
ness  was  not  at  home,  but  we  were  courteously  received 
by  several  priests  and  a  secretary  who  spoke  Italian. 
They  at  once  appropriated  a  room  to  our  use,  entertained 
us  with  pipes  and  coffee  in  the  large  audience  room,  and 
then  considerately  allowed  us  to  withdraw  and  change  our 
clothes. 

Presently  the  arrival  of  the  Metropolitan  was  announced, 
and  we  found  him  waiting  for  us  at  the  foot  of  the  steps. 
His  age  was  sixty-three ;  he  was  a  little  under  the  medium 
height,  but  erect  and  commanding  in  his  appearance,  with 
large,  intelligent,  benevolent  gray  eyes,  a  strong,  straight, 
Albanian  nose,  and  a  majestic  silver  beard,  which  fell  to 
his  girdle.  He  wore  a  long,  cinnamon-colored  robe,  over 
which  was  a  dark-green  pelisse,  trimmed  with  fur,  and  the 
usual  round  black  cap  of  the  Greek  priesthood,  which 
somewhat  resembles  an  inverted  sauce-kettle.  There  was 


TWO    DAYS   WITH    AN   ARCHBISHOP.  139 

no  fear  of  mistranslating  the  look  of  welcome  upon  that 
reverend  face,  or  the  cordial  grasp  of  his  extended  hand. 
The  extent  of  his  hospitality  will  be  better  understood 
when  I  state  (what  we  only  learned  on  leaving)  that  he 
had  made  preparations  for  his  departure  into  the  interior 
on  the  morrow,  and  immediately  postponed  the  journey 
on  our  account.  Still  holding  my  hand,  he  led  us  up-stairs 
to  the  divan,  called  for  glyko  (sweets) — a  delicious  jelly  of 
strawberries  prepared  at  Constantinople — pipes  of  the 
finest  Rumeli  tobacco,  and  coffee.  I  then  gave  him  the 
Pasha's  letter  and  a  few  lines  of  greeting  from  Elizabeth 
of  Crete. 

With  Frangois'  help — as  it  was  rather  a  delicate  subject 
— I  said  to  him  that  we  would  not  trespass  upon  his  hospi 
tality  further  than  to  make  use  of  the  room  allotted  to  us, 
as  we  were  provided  with  every  other  requisite.  He  ap 
parently  acquiesced,  to  our  great  satisfaction,  and  I  dis 
patched  Frangois  to  give  into  the  charge  of  some  Turkish 
baker,  for  cooking,  a  brace  of  hares  which  we  had  picked 
up  at  Asterakia.  Shortly  afterwards,  however,  when  we 
had  retired  from  the  audience,  two  priests  came  to  bring 
us  back  again,  stating  that  we  were  to  occupy  the  divan. 
I  protested,  but  in  vain.  The  Metropolitan  would  hear  of 
nothing  else,  and  as  the  evenings  were  still  cool,  he  ordered 
a  huge  mangal,  or  brazier  of  coals,  upon  which  were  laid 
strips  of  lemon  peel,  to  neutralize  the  gas  and  perfume  the 
apartment.  It  was  a  lofty,  spacious  room,  with  a  raised 
seat  covered  with  damask  at  the  further  end,  and  a  thick 
straw  matting  on  the  floor.  The  only  ornaments  were 
some  Byzantine  pictures  of  the  Sacrifice  of  Abraham,  the 


140  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

Murder  of  Abel,  and  Joseph's  adventure  with  Potiphar's 
wife — singular  ornaments  for  an  ecclesiastical  residence. 
As  I  was  resigning  myself  to  this  hospitality  and  its  conse 
quent  restraints,  the  Metropolitan  stated  that  dinner  would 
soon  be  ready.  So  it  appeared  that  we  were  doomed  to 
eat  at  his  table,  also.  Dinner  with  an  Archbishop,  in  the 
midst  of  Lent!  We  were  desperately  hungry,  and  the 
hares,  I  thought,  must  be  nearly  done  by  this  time.  Fare 
well,  visions  of  the  savory  roast,  and  the  odoriferous  stew ! 
Garlic  and  pulse  are  our  portion. 

It  was  after  dark  when  we  were  summoned,  and  descend 
ed  together  to  a  lower  room,  where  the  Metropolitan  sat 
down  to  the  table  with  us,  while  two  priests  stood  by  to 
wait  upon  us.  There  were  two  salads,  a  plate  of  olives, 
and  some  bread.  We  groaned  in  spirit,  as  we  thought  of 
the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt — as  the  officials  of  a  European 
Court  groaned,  when  they  beheld  an  American  Minister's 
temperance  breakfast.  Enforced  holiness  is  even  worse 
than  enforced  teetotalism.  The  priests  handed  us  plates  of 
soup.  Hot  gruel,  I  thought ;  but  no,  it  had  a  flavor  of 
chicken,  and  before  the  plates  were  emptied,  a  heretical 
boiled  fowl  was  placed  under  my  very  nose.  Then,  O 
miracle !  marched  in  our  hares,  dripping  with  balmy  sauce 
— cooked  as  never  hares  were  cooked  before.  Meanwhile, 
the  ruby  blood  of  Ida  gushed  in  our  glasses,  and  we  real 
ized  in  its  fullest  sense  the  unreasonableness  of  Lent — how 
much  more  contented,  grateful,  and  recognizant  one  feels 
when  feasting  than  when  fasting.  I  could  not  help  ejacu 
lating,  in  all  sincerity,  "Doxasi  '0  theos!" 

All  this  time,  the  good  old  man  was  contentedly  eating 


TWO    DAYS    WITH    AN    ARCHBISHOP.  141 

his  salad  and  olives.  "  This  is  liberal  and  truly  Christian," 
I  said  to  Fraii9ois.  "Oh,"  replied  that  worthy,  "his 
Holiness  has  sense  enough  to  know  that  we  are  no  better 
than  atheists."  In  fact  I  do  not  doubt  that,  in  the  eyes  of 
the  two  attendant  priests,  we  were  utterly  lost. 

During  the  whole  of  our  stay,  we  fared  sumptuously. 
The  table  groaned  twice  a  day  under  its  weight  of  fish, 
flesh,  and  fowl,  and,  so  far  from  being  shocked,  the  Metro 
politan  benevolently  smiled  upon  our  mountain  appetites. 
I  explained  to  him  that  the  Protestants  eschewed  outward 
observances  of  this  kind,  considering  that  the  fast  should  be 
spiritual  and  not  bodily.  In  order  to  make  the  matter 
clearer  to  him,  I  referred  to  St.  Paul's  remarks  on  the  sub 
ject  of  circumcision.  "I  understand  it  very  well,"  he 
replied,  "  but  we  cannot  do  otherwise  at  present.  My 
health  suffers  under  the  observance,  but  if  I  were  to  violate 
it,  I  should  be  chased  from  my  place  at  once."  I  must 
confess  I  have  a  higher  reverence  for  the  virtue  of  hospi 
tality  than  we  seem  to  set  upon  it  at  present.  When  a 
Turk  regales  a  Christian  with  ham  (as  it  happened  at 
Athens  the  same  winter),  when  a  lenten  priest  roasts  his 
turkey  for  you,  when  an  advocate  of  the  Maine  Law  gives 
his  German  friend  a  glass  of  wine,  when  some  of  my  own 
anti-tobacco  friends  at  home  allow  me  to  smoke  a  cigar  in 
the  back-kitchen  with  the  windows  open,  there  is  a  sacrifice 
of  self  on  the  altar  of  common  humanity.  True  hospitality 
involves  a  consideration  for  each  other's  habits — not  our  ex 
cesses,  mind  you,  but  our  usual  habits  of  life — even  when  they 
differ  on  such  serious  grounds  as  I  have  mentioned.  But  I 
have  dined  with  Vegetarians  who  said,  "  Meat  is  un whole- 


142  TRAVELS   IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

some,  so  my  conscience  will  not  let  me  give  it  to  you,"  or 
with  the  Ventilators,  who  proclaimed  that  "fires  in  bed 
rooms  are  deleterious" — and  I  have  been  starved  and  frozen. 
The  Metropolitan,  finding  that  I  spoke  a  very  little 
Greek,  insisted  on  dispensing  with  the  aid  of  an  interpreter. 
The  purity  of  his  accent,  after  the  harsh  Cretan  dialect,  in 
fact,  made  it  comparatively  easy  for  me  to  understand  him, 
but  it  kept  my  brain  constantly  on  the  stretch  to  follow  the 
course  of  his  conversation,  and  to  find  suitable  replies.  He 
was  a  native  of  Epirus,  of  which  province  he  was  Bishop 
for  ten  years,  before  coming  to  Crete.  He  was  therefore, 
of  Slavonic,  not  Hellenic  blood.  It  is  well  known  that 
Bishoprics  and  Archbishoprics  in  the  Greek  Church  are 
marketable  commodities  in  the  hands  of  the  Patriarch,  and 
Franyois  says,  with  how  much  truth  I  know  not,  that  our 
host's  place  cost  him  300,000  piastres  ($12,000).  It  seemed 
certain,  however,  that  he  would  not  be  allowed  to  keep  it 
long — he  was  far  too  enlightened  and  progressive  for  the 
owls  and  bats  who  haunt  the  darkness  of  Eastern  Christi 
anity.  His  first  act  was  to  establish  a  school  at  Heracleion, 
and  already  sixteen  hundred  children  of  both  sexes  were 
receiving  instruction  in  it.  All  his  influence  had  been 
exerted  in  persuading  the  monasteries  of  Crete,  which  are 
the  very  hives  of  indolence  and  rapacity,  to  establish  schools 
for  the  peasantry  with  a  portion  of  their  ample  revenues ; 
but  only  three  or  four  of  them  consented  to  do  so.  In  his 
endeavors,  also,  to  assist  Vely  Pasha  in  carrying  into  force 
the  Hattihumayoun,  he  incurred  the  hostility  of  the  ultra- 
Greek  party,  who  called  him,  in  derision,  the  "Turko- 
polite."  It  was  very  cheering  to  light  upon  an  evidence 


TWO    DAYS    WITH    AN   ARCHBISHOP.  143 

of  true  progress,  in  the  midst  of  the  disheartening  experi 
ences  which  constantly  meet  the  traveller  in  Greece  and 
the  Orient.  But  what  availed  all  his  efforts  ?  In  six  months 
after  our  visit,  he  was  dead,  Vely  Pasha  was  dismissed,  and 
Europe  was  satisfied. 

The  day  after  our  arrival,  the  Metropolitan  accompanied 
us  on  a  walk  through  the  city.  The  place  was  totally  de 
stroyed  by  an  earthquake  in  the  year  1856,  between  five 
and  six  hundred  people  perishing  in  the  ruins.  Advantage 
of  this  has  been  taken,  in  rebuilding,  to  widen  the  streets 
and  improve  the  general  plan  of  the  town,  though  not  to 
such  an  extent  as  the  Government  designed,  on  account  of 
the  violent  opposition  of  the  people.  One  sees  everywhere 
heaps  of  ruins.  As  we  walked  through  the  streets,  followed 
by  the  two  secretaries,  the  tradesmen  and  mechanics  in  the 
bazaars  saluted  the  Metropolitan  by  rising  to  their  feet, 
and  in  return  he  gave  them  his  benediction  by  lifting  two 
fingers.  We  first  called  upon  the  Turkish  Governor,  a 
young  man,  whom  I  should  have  set  down  anywhere  as  an 
American,  from  his  face.  He  offered  us  house,  horses,  and 
everything  else  in  his  power,  but  we  only  accepted  an  officer 
as  guide  to  the  fortifications  and  the  old  Venetian  arsenal. 
The  former  are  of  immense  strength  and  solidity,  and  the 
bronze  guns  of  St.  Mark  still  grin  through  the  embrasures 
of  the  sea-wall.  The  port  is  quite  small,  and  partly  choked 
up  with  sand.  It  is  protected  by  a  mole,  which  is  tumbling 
down,  with  a  deserted  fort  at  the  extremity.  Considerable 
commerce  is  carried  on  with  other  ports  of  the  Levant, 
and  even  with  England,  the  principal  exports  being  soap, 
oil,  wine,  silk,  and  wool. 


144  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

The  arsenal  is  one  of  the  most  curious  relics  of  the  Mid 
dle  Ages  which  I  have  ever  seen.  It  is  a  massive  stone 
building  in  the  Palladian  style.  One  side  was  thrown 
down  by  the  earthquake,  and  the  other  walls  cracked  in 
many  places  from  top  to  bottom,  but  fortunately  not  beyond 
the  possibility  of  repair.  It  is  completely  stored  with  arms 
of  all  kinds,  heaped  together  in  great  piles  and  covered 
with  rust.  Scores  of  cannon,  with  their  carriages,  lean 
against  the  walls ;  great  haystacks  of  swords  rise  above  one's 
head ;  heavy  flails,  studded  with  spikes,  lances,  arquebusses 
and  morning-stars  are  heaped  in  dusty  confusion  along  the 
length  of  the  dark  hall.  In  the  upper  story  is  a  space  evi 
dently  devoted  to  trophies  taken  in  war.  To  every  pillar  is 
affixed  a  wooden  shield  with  a  Latin  motto,  around  which 
are  hung  helmets,  pikes,  rapiers,  and  two-handed  swords. 
There  are  also  a  multitude  of  tents,  cordage,  and  kettles  of 
balsam,  which  was  used  in  making  plasters  for  the  wounded. 
EArerything  appears  to  be  very  much  in  the  same  condition 
as  it  was  left  by  the  Venetians,  two  centuries  ago.  The 
officers  gave  me  leave  to  select  an  arrow  from  the  sheaves 
of  those  weapons,  cautioning  me,  however,  not  to  scratch 
myself  with  the  point,  as  many  of  them  were  poisoned. 
The  Metropolitan's  secretary,  who  longed  for  a  Christian 
relic,  secretly  slipped  one  of  them  up  his  sleeve  and  carried 
it  off. 

We  then  visited  the  Venetian  cathedral,  afterwards  a 
mosque,  and  now,  owing  to  the  earthquake,  a  beautiful  ruin. 
While  I  sketched  it,  the  two  secretaries,  who  stood  near, 
conversed  about  us.  "How  is  it,"  asked  one,  "that  the 
Americans  have  Hellenic  faces?  The  officers  of  the  frigate 


TWO    DAYS   WITH   AN   ARCHBISHOP.  145 

Congress  all  looked  like  ancient  Greeks,  and  so  do  these 
two !"  The  remark  was  evidently  intended  to  be  overheard, 
for  nothing  could  be  further  from  the  truth.  We  had  at 
last  sunshine  again,  and  the  twenty  palms  of  Heracleion 
waved  in  the  balmy  air,  which  brought  them  greeting  from 
the  near  Libyan  shore.  Ida  rose  unclouded  in  the  west,  its 
superb  pinnacle  just  visible  above  its  buttresses  of  gilded 
snow,  while  over  the  warm  wheat-plains  and  the  low  hill  of 
Cnossus  towered  Juktas  in  lonely  grandeur,  as  if  proud  to 
be  the  sepulchre  of  Jove.  I  projected  a  ride  thither,  but 
the  Thunderer's  tomb  was  not  to  be  trodden  by  profane 
feet :  the  snow  still  lay  deep  on  the  summit,  and  the  monks 
of  the  monastery  of  Arkhanic,  at  its  base,  reported  that 
the  mountain  was  inaccessible. 

We  went  the  round  of  the  schools  in  company  with  the 
Metropolitan,  who  introduced  us  both  to  teachers  and 
scholars,  making  a  short  address  to  each  class.  The  more 
advanced  boys  were  reading  Xenophon,  which  they  parsed 
and  explained  with  great  glibness.  I  was  delighted  to  see 
such  a  number  of  bright,  intelligent  faces,  especially  among 
the  younger  boys.  Their  eager,  earnest  expression  was 
an  evidence  that  their  attendance  was  not  compulsory.  The 
Metropolitan  was  kind  enough  to  translate  a  few  words  to 
them,  for  me,  and  I  really  felt,  as  I  told  him,  that  such  a 
night  was  better  than  a  ruined  temple.  He  informed  me 
that  Yely  Pasha  intended  establishing  a  school  in  the  city, 
in  which  both  Greek  and  Turkish  children  were  to  be  taught 
together,  and  I  was  very  glad  to  find  that  he  was  himself 
strongly  in  favor  of  the  measure.  But  if  this  plan  ever 
succeeds,  it  will  be  in  spite  of  the  Greek  population. 

7 


146  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

Outside  the  walls,  there  is  a  separate  village  for  the  lepers, 
as  at  Rhithymnos.  These  unhappy  creatures  are  obliged 
to  leave  their  native  villages  as  soon  as  the  disease  makes 
its  appearance,  and  consort  with  those  who  are  cut  off 
from  intercourse  with  the  healthy  population  by  the  same 
fate.  The  disease,  in  Crete,  although  presenting  nearly 
the  same  features  as  in  Norway,  is  slower  in  its  operation 
and  less  hideous  in  its  appearance.  It  is  not  considered 
contagious,  as  there  are  many  instances  on  the  island  of  a 
leprous  man  being  married  to  a  sound  woman,  and  the 
reverse,  without  communicating  the  disease.  The  children 
of  such  unions  are  sometimes  healthy,  even.  The  number 
of  lepers  in  Crete  is  upward  of  1,200,  and  is  at  present  on 
the  increase,  the  disease  invading  even  Sfakia,  where  it  has 
hitherto  been  unknown.  It  has  been  ascribed,  as  in  Nor 
way,  to  the  use  of  salt  fish,  together  with  excessive  quanti 
ties  of  oil,  and  especially  new  oil,  which  has  a  fiery,  acrid 
quality,  which  it  loses  after  a  few  months.  The  filthy  ha 
bits  of  life  of  the  Cretans  no  doubt  assist  in  developing  the 
disease.  The  Medical  Inspector  of  Heracleion,  a  French 
physician,  informed  me  that  all  his  endeavors  to  cure  or 
check  it  had  been  in  vain.  He  was  very  decided  in  the 
opinion  that  it  was  not  contagious.  He  mentioned  to  me, 
as  a  very  curious  fact,  that  venereal  diseases  are  unknown 
on  the  island. 

The  same  gentleman  was  well  acquainted  with  Sfakia, 
and  his  enthusiastic  description  of  the  people  made  me 
more  than  ever  regret  that  I  could  not  have  visited  them. 
He  considers  them  Cretans  of  unmixed  blood — the  legiti 
mate  descendants  of  the  ancient  stock,  asserting  that  they 


TWO    DAYS   WITH   AN   AECHBISHOP.  147 

still  retain  all  the  physical  marks  of  the  old  Hellenic  race, 
both  in  face  and  form.  In  fact,  one  sees  more  Greek  faces 
in  a  day  in  Crete  than  during  a  year  in  Athens.  But  in 
the  greater  part  of  the  island  the  type  has  been  modified 
by  additions  of  Saracenic,  Venetian,  and  Turkish  blood : 
only  in  the  mountain  fastnesses  of  Sfakia  does  the  true  race 
of  Minos  exist. 

We  left  Heracleion  in  the  Austrian  steamer  after  a 
sojourn  of  sixteen  days  in  Crete,  and  returned  to  Athens 
by  way  of  Syra.  Our  parting  with  the  noble  old  Metropo 
litan  was  the  parting  from  a  revered  friend,  and  Frangois, 
who  acknowledged  that  he  had  at  last  found  one  priest 
worthy  of  his  office,  kissed  devoutly  the  hand  stretched  out 
to  take  his  own. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    EARTHQUAKE     AT     CORINTH. 

A  WEEK  after  my  return  from  Crete,  I  again  left  Athens 
for  a  tour  through  the  Peloponnesus,  which  I  could  not 
enter  upon  sooner  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  wea 
ther.  The  party  consisted  of  Braisted  and  myself,  accom 
panied  by  the  indispensable  Fran9ois,  all  three  mounted  on 
sturdy,  plodding  horses,  and  two  baggage  animals  under 
the  charge  of  our  agoyats^  Pericles  and  Aristides.  We 
had  the  necessary  store  of  provisions,  with  two  beds,  a 
camp-table  and  stools,  without  which  it  is  still  impossible 
to  travel  with  any  comfort  in  Greece.  Athens  is  semi- 
civilized,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  country  remains  in  a 
state  of  comparative  barbarism. 

The  day  of  our  departure  augured  a  fortunate  journey. 
It  had  stormed  on  the  previous  day,  but  now  the  azure 
pavement  of  heaven  shone  new-washed  in  the  beams  of  the 
rising  sun,  and  all  the  sounds  and  colors  of  Spring  were 
doubly  fresh  in  the  crystalline  air.  A  cool  wind  blew  from 
the  west,  and  every  tint  of  the  landscape  was  retouched 


THE    EARTHQUAKE    AT    CORINTH.  149 

and  restored  with  the  loveliest  effect.  The  elder-trees  in 
the  gardens  had  already  put  on  their  summer  dress ;  the 
tall  Grecian  poplars  stood  in  a  green  mist  of  blossoms ; 
the  willows  dropped  their  first  tresses  of  milky  emerald,  and 
the  pink  petals  of  the  almond  flowers  showered  upon  the 
earth.  The  plain  of  Attica,  over  which  we  rode,  through 
the  olive  grove  of  the  Academy,  was  like  a  paradise.  The 
wheat  was  already  high  enough  to  ripple  and  shift  its  color 
in  the  wind,  and  the  vines,  among  which  the  peasants  were 
busily  working,  pruning  the  last  year's  shoots  and  heaping 
the  earth  between  the  rows,  were  beginning  to  put  forth 
their  leaves.  As  we  turned,  at  the  pass  of  Daphne,  to  take 
a  farewell  look  at  Athens,  I  was  more  than  ever  struck 
with  the  unrivalled  position  of  the  immortal  city.  The 
Acropolis  is  the  prominent  object  in  every  view,  and  the 
rock-crested  Lycabettus,  with  its  pyramidal  front,  harmo 
niously  balances  it  on  the  north,  both  being  exquisitely 
relieved  against  the  blue  background  of  Hymettus. 

I  never  saw  a  more  superb  sea-color  than  that  of  the 
Gulf  of  Salamis,  as  it  shone  in  the  distance,  between  the 
pale  pinkish-gray  walls  of  the  pass.  It  was  a  dazzling, 
velvety  blue-green,  covered  with  a  purple  bloom,  and 
shone  with  a  semi-transparent  lustre,  like  that  of  a  dark 
sapphire.  Neither  brush  nor  pen  could  represent  it.  The 
scarlet  anemones  just  opened,  burned  like  coals  of  fire  by 
the  road-side,  wild  almonds  and  hawthorns  hid  their 
crooked  boughs  in  a  veil  of  blossoms,  and  the  lily  and 
asphodel  shot  forth  new  leaves.  It  was  a  day  loaned  from 
the  treasury  of  heaven,  and  we  shouted,  as  we  rode,  from 
an  overplus  of  animal  joy.  We  breakfasted  at  the  tomb  of 


150  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

Straton,  rode  over  the  rich  plain  of  Eleusis,  passed  the 
horned  Mount  Kerata  (Cuckold),  the  eastern  headland  of 
Cithaeron,  and  reached  Megara  in  the  afternoon.  I  noticed 
the  ease  with  which  good  roads  may  be  made  in  Greece. 
The  soil  abounds  with  broken  limestone  fragments,  which 
only  need  shovelling  together  and  rolling,  to  make  an 
excellent  macadam,  not  exposed  to  the  chance  of  being 
injured  by  frosts  or  heavy  rains.  On  the  plain  of  Megara 
no  road  at  all  had  been  made,  and  yet  there  was  a  very 
good  carriage  track.  In  spite  of  this,  however,  the  means 
of  internal  communication  in  Greece  are  inferior  to  what 
they  were  in  the  days  of  Homer. 

Soon  after  leaving  Eleusis,  a  few  clouds  gathered,  the 
wind  fell,  and  the  sky  darkened  in  such  a  manner  that  we 
feared  a  most  unfavorable  change  in  the  weather.  The 
landscape  became  singularly  cold  and  dreary,  and  our 
spirits  were  unaccountably  depressed.  The  foliage  lost  its 
bright  color,  the  distant  hills  became  dark  and  dull,  the 
lively  sounds  of  bird  and  beast  ceased — in  short,  some 
gloomy  spell  seemed  to  have  fallen  upon  the  world.  I 
tried  in  vain  to  shake  off  the  uncomfortable  weight,  but  it 
clung  to  me  like  a  nightmare,  and  the  fact  that  I  could  not 
account  for  it  worried  me  still  the  more.  On  reaching 
Megara,  however,  we  saw  boys  with  bits  of  smoked  glass, 
and  the  whole  thing  was  explained.  Our  testimony, 
therefore,  to  the  moral  effect  of  a  solar  eclipse  may  be 
taken  as  perfectly  impartial,  and  it  may  serve  to  explain 
the  alarm  felt  by  savage  races  on  the  occurrence  of  such  a 
phenomenon. 

The  town  of  Megara  is  built  in  a  dip  between  two  hills 


THE    EARTHQUAKE    AT    CORINTH.  151 

which  rise  out  of  the  middle  of  the  plain.  It  has  a  lively, 
bustling  air,  and  shows  some  signs  of  progress.  Large  and 
handsome  houses  are  springing  up  in  the  midst  of  the  one- 
storied  heaps  of  rough  masonry  which  usually  constitute  a 
Greek  town,  and  although  about  every  fourth  building  is  a 
church,  the  population  must  be  considerably  above  a  thou 
sand.  The  plain  on  one  side  was  a  vast  green  floor  of 
wheat,  rye,  and  barley  ;  on  the  other  it  was  simply  plowed, 
and  would  be  partially  planted  with  maize  or  beans.  Next 
year  the  order  of  crops  will  be  reversed,  and  so  from  year 
to  year,  in  regular  rotation.  Manuring,  or  any  improvement 
of  the  soil,  is  never  thought  of,  and  the  plow  is  the  same 
kind  used  by  Ceres,  when  she  planted  the  first  grain.  I 
was  glad  to  see,  however,  by  the  orchards  of  young  olives, 
and  the  encroachments  of  fields  upon  the  bases  of  the 
mountains,  that  the  area  of  this  rude  cultivation  is  extend 
ing.  The  city  museum  of  antiquities  is  a  dark,  dirty  hut, 
in  which  are  three  headless  statues,  one  of  them  presenting 
its  back  to  the  visitor.  During  the  evening  the  streets 
rang  with  the  voice  of  a  crier,  who  went  around  calling 
upon  all  those  who  were  not  at  work,  to  attend  church. 
This  custom  is  probably  borrowed  from  the  Moslem  call  to 
prayer,  but  the  cry  is  by  no  means  so  musical  and  impres 
sive. 

The  next  day  we  crossed  the  Geranean  Mountains  by 
the  pass  of  the  Skyronian  Rocks.  The  breakneck  bridle 
path  follows  the  chariot-road  constructed  by  Hadrian,  of 
which  the  massive  supporting  walls  remain  in  many  places. 
The  Greek  Government  has  at  last  commenced  the  task  of 
constructing  a  new  road,  which  will  probably  be  finished  in 


152  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

the  course  of  twenty  years,  although  it  might  be  done  in 
twelve  months,  thereby  completing  the  communication 
between  Athens  and  Corinth.  The  haunt  of  the  robber 
Skyron,  destroyed  by  Theseus,  was  near  the  southern  limit 
of  the  mountains,  where  they  tower  high  overhead,  gaping 
with  caverns,  and  showing  white  breaks  in  their  tawny 
orange  fronts,  where  huge  fragments  have  fallen  off.  Near 
the  sea,  the  marble  rock,  smoothed  and  polished  by  the 
rains  of  thousands  of  years,  rises  like  a  hewn  wall  to  the 
height  of  more  than  a  hundred  feet.  Whether  Skyron 
was  a  strong  wind  which  blew  travellers  off  the  cliff,  or 
whether  he  was  a  real,  live  robber,  is  a  question  over 
which  scholars  may  break  their  heads.  A  more  important 
fact  is  that  there  are  bands  of  robbers  in  the  Isthmus  now, 
and  no  chariot  roads. 

Thence  to  Kalamaki  was  a  ride  of  four  hours,  over  a 
plain  almost  entirely  covered  with  mastic,  wild  olive,  and 
the  Isthmian  pine — unplowed  and  uninhabited.  In  one  spot, 
heaps  of  rough  sulphur  were  piled  on  the  seashore,  and 
we  saw,  in  the  face  of  the  mountains  on  our  right,  the 
quarries  whence  they  came.  As  we  approached  Kalamaki, 
the  ruin  wrought  by  the  earthquake  which  visited  the 
Isthmus  on  Sunday,  February  21,  became  evident.  In  the 
whole  town  but  two  houses  appeared  to  be  uninjured,  and 
those  of  which  the  walls  yet  stood  were  so  damaged  as  to 
be  entirely  uninhabitable.  The  town  was  a  mass  of  hideous 
ruin — a  mere  heap  of  stones  and  broken  tiles,  out  of  which 
the  rafters  and  roof-trees  rose  like  the  shattered  spars  of 
shipwrecked  vessels.  The  khan  where  we  had  breakfasted 
on  our  way  to  Athens,  was  level  with  the  earth;  a  large 


THE   EARTHQUAKE   AT    COKINTH.  153 

house  opposite  was  so  riddled  and  cracked  that  it  resembled 
a  basket,  and  great  gaps,  still  yawning  in  the  earth,  showed 
how  terrific  had  been  the  upheaval.  The  quay  had  sunk 
perceptibly,  and  a  barrack  at  its  extremity,  split  clean  into 
two  equal  parts,  leaned  outward,  threatening  to  fall  at  any 
moment.  The  people  told  us  that  the  whole  thing  was  the 
work  of  a  second.  It  came  like  a  thunderbolt,  out  of  a 
clear  sky,  with  no  previous  sign  of  warning.  The  sound 
and  the  shock  were  simultaneous;  houses  fell,  the  earth 
heaved  up  and  down,  cracked  open  as  it  rose,  and  when 
the  cracks  closed  again  as  it  sank,  streams  of  water  spouted 
up  from  them  like  fountains,  high  into  the  air.  Four  per 
sons  were  killed,  and  but  two  wounded. 

We  could  learn  very  little  as  to  the  probability  of  getting 
quarters  for  the  night  nearer  Corinth,  but  determined  to 
push  on.  A  mile  from  Kalamaki  our  road  passed  over  the 
site  of  the  renowned  Isthmian  games.  The  inclosure  of 
the  stadium  is  still  distinctly  marked  by  the  heaps  of  hewn 
stones,  but  of  the  temple  of  Neptune  there  are  only  shape 
less  fragments.  As  we  rode  over  the  deserted  stadium, 
Braisted  broke  a  branch  of  Isthmian  pine  as  a  souvenir, 
and  I  repeated  Schiller's  "  Gods  of  Greece :" 

"  Then  like  palaces  arose  your  temples, 

Lived  for  you  each  old,  heroic  game ; 
At  the  Isthmus,  rich  with  crowns  and  garlands, 
Chariots  thundered  to  the  goal  of  fame." 

Two  miles  more  brought  us  to  the  quarries  whence 
Corinth  and  the  Isthmian  temples  were  built — vast  hollows, 
walled  by  the  hewn  rock,  their  extent  denoting  the  amount 

7* 


154  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

of  material  drawn  from  them.  The  plain  was  partially  cul 
tivated,  its  rich,  mellow  loam,  more  moist  than  that  of 
Attica,  producing  admirable  crops  of  wheat. 

We  stopped  at  the  village  of  Hexamilia,  about  an  hour's 
ride  from  Corinth,  as  there  was  no  habitable  house  in  the 
latter  town,  and  the  tents  furnished  by  government  barely 
sufficed  for  the  destitute  inhabitants.  Hexamilia,  though 
so  near  Corinth,  suffered  less  than  Kalamaki,  which  appears 
to  have  been  directly  on  the  line  of  the  greatest  vibration. 
Lutraki,  only  five  miles  distant,  on  the  western  shore  of 
the  Isthmus,  escaped  with  comparatively  trifling  damage. 
We  found  quarters  for  the  night  in  the  house  of  the 
Demarch — a  handsome  two-story  building  of  hewn  stone, 
one  end  of  which  had  been  thrown  down.  Nevertheless, 
enough  was  left  to  shelter  us  from  the  rain,  which  began  to 
fall  heavily.  A  few  of  the  houses  in  the  village  were 
levelled  to  the  earth,  but  the  most  of  them  escaped  with 
cracked  walls,  broken  roofs,  or  the  loss  of  a  gable.  No 
body  was  injured,  but  among  the  hills  to  the  south 
four  peasants  and  about  thirty  goats  were  killed  by  the 
falling  of  a  mass  of  rock,  in  the  grotto  where  they  were 
lying. 

The  Demarch,  who  was  a  good-humored,  communicative 
fellow,  with  rather  more  than  the  ordinary  intelligence, 
informed  me  that  he  was  in  Corinth  when  the  earthquake 
occurred.  In  a  moment,  he  says,  came  the  thunder  and 
the  shock.  The  houses  all  fell  together,  and  there  was 
such  a  dust  that  one  man  could  not  see  another,  standing 
near  him.  Many  of  the  citizens  were  at  the  office  of  the 
Demarch,  intending  to  elect  new  candidates.  The  walls 


THE    EARTHQUAKE   AT    CORINTH.  155 

fell,  but  fortunately  fell  outwards,  and  nobody  was  injured. 
In  another  house  a  number  of  children  were  dancing,  while 
their  mothers  were  gathered  together  to  talk  scandal.  The 
latter  succeeded  in  holding  up  the  falling  roof  until  the 
children  escaped,  and  were  then,  in  turn,  rescued  by  some 
men.  Twenty-five  persons  were  killed  on  the  spot,  or 
afterwards  died  of  their  wounds,  and  the  number  wounded 
was  estimated  at  over  fifty.  This  slight  loss  of  life,  when 
compared  with  the  extent  of  the  catastrophe,  is  explained 
by  the  fact  that  the  earthquake  took  place  between  ten  and 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  when  the  inhabitants  are 
mostly  out  of  doors. 

While  the  Demarch  was  relating  to  me  these  particulars, 
there  was  suddenly  a  sound  like  distant  artillery,  and  the 
house  trembled  slightly.  "  There  it  is  again !"  said  he ; 
"  we  have  heard  it  every  hour  or  two  since  the  beginning." 
In  the  evening  there  was  another  shock ;  two  during  the 
night ;  and  at  six  in  the  morning,  while  we  yet  lay  in  bed, 
one  so  violent  that  some  stones  were  dislodged  from  the 
wall,  and  rattled  on  the  floor  over  our  heads.  This  latter 
was  accompanied  by  a  deep,  hollow,  rumbling  sound,  which 
seemed  at  the  same  time  to  be  under  and  around  us.  It 
was  probably  my  imagination  which  gave  me  the  impression 
that  it  came  from  the  west  and  rolled  towards  the  east 
Although  we  were  convinced  that  the  worst  was  past,  and 
that  we  were  no  longer  in  any  danger  from  these  shocks, 
their  uncertain  recurrence  and  mysterious  threatening 
character  gave  us  a  vague  feeling  of  alarm.  The  Demarch, 
his  brother,  their  wives  and  children,  our  agoyats  and  our 
selves  all  slept  on  the  unpaved  floor  of  the  house,  but  the 


156  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

family  were  so  accustomed  to  the  shocks  that  they  no 
longer  paid  any  attention  to  them. 

As  it  was  raining  next  morning,  we  waited  until  nearly 
eleven  o'clock,  when,  finding  no  signs  of  a  change,  we  s^t 
out  in  the  storm.  A  ride  of  half  an  hour  brought  us  to 
Corinth — or  rather  what  had  been  Corinth — for,  although 
a  few  houses  were  standing,  they  were  cracked  from  top 
to  bottom,  and  had  been  abandoned.  The  greater  part  of 
the  city  was  a  shapeless  heap  of  ruins,  and  most  of  the  in 
habitants  seemed  to  have  deserted  it.  Some  tents  had 
been  pitched,  and  a  few  rough  wooden  barracks  erected, 
which,  at  least,  sheltered  them  from  the  weather.  The 
force  of  the  shock  appeared  to  have  been  of  about  the 
same  violence  as  at  Kalamaki.  All  accounts  concurred  in 
representing  it  as  a  sudden,  vertical  upheaval,  not  accom 
panied  with  horizontal  waves,  and  the  fact  that  nearly  all 
the  walls  fell  outward,  verifies  this  statement.  The  central 
line  of  the  force  undoubtedly  passed  through  or  very  near 
Corinth  and  Kalamaki,  in  a  direction  about  E.  N.  E.  and 
"W.  S.  W.  On  either  side  of  this  central  line  the  force 
must  have  diminished  in  very  rapid  proportion,  as  Hexa- 
milia,  not  two  miles  distant  from  it,  appeared  to  have  been 
visited  by  a  shock  considerably  less  violent,  and  a  village 
five  or  six  miles  westward  from  Corinth,  suffered  but  little 
damage.  At  Megara,  on  one  side,  and  Argos  on  the  other, 
the  earthquake  was  sensibly  felt,  but  without  producing 
the  slightest  effect. 

The  shocks,  which  still  continued,  were  confined  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Corinth.  They  did  not  pass  the  Geranean 
Mountains  on  the  north,  or  that  range  on  the  south  which 


THE   EARTHQUAKE   AT   CORINTH.  157 

divides  the  valley  of  N~emea  from  the  plain  of  Argos.  This 
limitation  of  the  operations  of  the  earthquake  is  its  most 
singular  feature,  enabling  us  to  determine  very  nearly  the 
central  point  of  the  subterranean  forces,  which  coincides 
with  the  centre  of  the  Isthmus  at  its  narrowest  part.  The 
Government  decided  to  remove  the  town  of  Corinth  to  a 
new  site  on  the  plain  two  or  three  miles  nearer  the  Gulf. 
No  commencement  had  been  made,  however,  and  I  doubt 
whether  the  people  will  second  this  measure.  The  Isthmus 
is  undoubtedly  the  best  site  for  a  commercial  city  in  all 
Greece,  and  the  King  and  his  advisers  committed  a  great 
oversight  in  establishing  the  capital  at  Athens,  instead  of 
building  up  a  new  one  here.  Athens  never  can  be  an 
important  city ;  its  life  depends  only  on  that  of  the  Court. 
It  is  a  very  small  sort  of  a  Washington — a  village  with 
public  buildings.  Here,  however,  is  the  saddle  of  Greece, 
whose  warm  flanks  are  bathed  in  the  Mediterranean,  and 
whose  head,  snorting  for  Constantinople,  is  thrust  into 
Thessaly.  A  city  mounted  here,  would  have  one  foot  in 
either  sea,  taking  the  commerce  of  the  Adriatic  from 
Patras,  that  of  the  Orient  from  Syra,  and  yet  uniting  the 
conflicting  interests  and  jealousies  of  Greece  as  nothing 
else  could  have  done.  Ah,  what  a  chance  was  lost  through 
the  classic  taste  and  practical  stupidity  of  old  Ludwig  of 
Bavaria ! 

We  paused  awhile  before  the  seven  ancient  Doric  co 
lumns  of  the  temple  of  Neptune,  or  the  Corinthian  Jove, 
or  Minerva  Chalcidis,  or  whatever  else  they  may  be. 
Rough  as  these  monoliths  are,  evidently  erected  long 
before  the  perfect  period  of  Grecian  architecture,  one 


158  TRAVELS    IX    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

nevertheless  finds  the  simple  grace  of  the  Doric  order  in 
their  worn,  unwieldy  masses.  One  of  them  has  been  vio 
lently  split  by  the  earthquake,  and  a  very  slight  impulse 
would  throw  it  against  its  nearest  fellow,  probably  to  pre 
cipitate  that  in  turn. 

Passing  around  the  giant  Acropolis,  whose  summit  was 
enveloped  in  clouds,  we  entered  the  valley  of  a  stream 
which  comes  down  from  the  Nemean  Hills.  It  rained 
slowly  and  steadily,  and  the  deserted  landscape  was  doubly 
dismal  under  the  lowering  sky.  We  toiled  on  for  four 
hours,  and  finally  took  refuge  from  the  weather  in  the 
khan  of  Kourtessa,  near  the  site  of  Cleonse.  This  place, 
too,  had  suffered  from  the  earthquake.  Of  the  three  houses, 
two  were  uninhabitable,  the  largest  belonging  to  an  officer 
of  the  gend'armerie,  being  terribly  shattered,  with  both 
gable-ends  thrown  outwards.  The  young  keeper  of  the 
khan,  Agamemnon  by  name,  received  us  kindly,  and  we 
whiled  away  the  evening  in  listening  to  the  songs  of  a 
blind,  wandering  Homer,  who  sang  violently  through  his 
nose,  accompanying  himself  with  a  cither,  equally  nasal  and 
discordant.  The  character  of  the  music  was  entirely 
Oriental — monotonous,  irregular^  and  with  a  prolongation 
of  the  final  syllables  of  every  line,  which  always  interrupted 
the  tempo.  Some  of  the  more  lively  airs  suggested  Irish 
melodies.  There  were  admirable  things  in  the  themes — 
especially  in  a  song  of  the  Klepts — but  they  needed  to 
be  reduced  to  order  and  harmonized.  After  dinner  came 
the  same  terrific,  rumbling  sound  we  had  heard  in  the 
morning,  with  a  sudden  strong  vertical  motion,  which  made 
the  house  rock  like  a  reed  in  the  wind.  The  shock  lasted 


THE   EARTHQUAKE    AT    CORINTH.  159 

from  twenty  to  thirty  seconds,  and  the  vibrations  continued 
at  least  a  minute  longer.  The  timbers  cracked,  and  the 
walls  gave  signs  of  splitting.  A  very  little  additional  force 
would  have  brought  the  house  down  upon  our  heads. 

During  the  night,  I  was  awakened  by  the  crash  of  a  fall 
ing  wall  belonging  to  the  large  house ;  the  shock  was 
already  over.  But  at  daylight  we  were  visited  by  the 
most  powerful  of  all.  The  violence  of  the  upward  and 
downward  motion  caused  the  walls  on  either  side  of  us  to 
crack  open  and  separate,  with  a  horrid,  grinding  sound, 
while  many  of  the  smaller  stones  fell  around  us.  We  were 
in  bed,  and  felt  rather  concerned  for  our  safety,  but  were 
too  intent  on  watching  the  phenomenon  to  take  measures 
of  escape.  I  felt  relieved,  however,  on  finding  that  the 
storm  was  breaking  away,  so  that  we  could  soon  put  our 
selves  on  a  more  stable  soil  than  that  of  Corinth. 

By  ten  o'clock  we  had  climbed  to  the  crest  of  the  hills, 
and  the  plain  of  Argos,  crossed  by  long  streaks  of  golden 
morning  light,  lay  below  us.  On  the  right  the  mountains 
of  Arcadia  rose  in  a  rampart  of  glittering  snow,  with  the 
hills  of  Erymanthus  and  the  pyramidal  peak  of  Cyllene 
still  further  to  the  west.  Beyond  the  emerald  pavement 
of  the  plain  rose  the  Acropolis  of  Argos  against  the  purple 
line  of  the  Argolic  Gulf.  The  glorious  landscape  swam  in 
a  transparent  vapor,  which  still  further  softened  its  exqui 
site  harmony  of  color.  The  pink  mountain  headlands, 
painted  with  the  tenderest  streakings  of  silvery-gray 
shadow,  had  a  play  of  light  like  that  upon  folded  silk,  and 
the  whole  scene  was  clear  and  luminous  in  tone,  as  if 
painted  upon  glass.  It  is  difficult  to  picture  in  words  the 


160  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

pure,  aerial  delicacy  and  loveliness  of  coloring  which  tinted 
the  Argive  world  below  us — and  I  have  not  the  magic  pen 
cil  of  Turner,  who  alone  could  have  caught  its  transitory 
splendor. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

ARGOLIS      AND      ARCADIA. 

I  HAVE  nothing  to  add  to  the  descriptions  of  the  ruined 
fortresses  of  Argolis,  given  by  previous  travellers.  Of  course, 
we  sat  in  the  Gate  of  Lions,  at  Mycenae,  and,  as  in  duty 
bound,  thought  of  bully  Agamemnon,  Orestes,  Electra,  and 
all  the  other  renowned  old  creatures  who  either  were  or 
were  not  (see  Grote's  History),  admired  the  grand  Pelasgic 
masonry  of  Tiryns,  and  climbed  the  seventy-two  rows  of 
rock-hewn  seats  in  the  theatre  of  Argos.  To  one  who  has  seen 
Egypt,  Baalbec,  and  Elephanta,  these  ruins,  apart  from  their 
historical  interest,  are  not  very  impressive.  Athens,  Sunium, 
Egina,  and  Phigalia,  comprise  all  that  is  left  of  the  architec 
tural  splendors  of  Greece ;  the  rest  is  walls,  foundations, 
scattered  stones,  and  a  few  very  dilapidated  theatres.  The 
traveller  must  bring  the  magic  of  immortal  associations 
with  him,  or  he  will  be  disappointed. 

I  found  the  "  thirsty  Argos  "  a  rich,  well- watered  plain 
— at  least  in  March.  The  Inachos  rolled  a  full,  swift  stream 
to  the  Gulf,  and  the  lush  grain  was  shooting  up  so  vigor- 


162  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

ously  that  two  or  three  weeks  more  would  see  it  in  head. 
Argos  is  a  mean,  filthy  town,  with  a  most  indolent  popula 
tion,  if  the  crowds  of  loafers  at  all  the  coffee-houses  might 
be'  taken  as  a  specimen.  The  country  people  were  pitching 
quoits  in  the  streets,  and  at  a  cafe  where  we  stopped  to 
rest,  twenty-five  men  were  playing  cards.  A  Greek  officer, 
who  spoke  some  French,  accosted  us.  I  learned  afterwards 
that  he  had  been  banished  from  Athens  on  account  of  his 
peculations  being  discovered.  The  richness  of  the  soil,  he 
said  to  me,  makes  the  people  idle  :  they  raise  two  crops  a 
year,  have  amply  sufficient  for  all  their  wants,  and  work  no 
more  than  they  can  help.  "  You  want  a  Governor  despotic 
enough,"  I  said  to  him,  "to  take  all  these  able-bodied 
idlers  and  make  them  clean  the  Augean  stable  in  which 
they  live."  In  fact,  all  the  labors  of  Hercules  need  doing 
over  again  in  Greece.  The  Hydra  inhabits  the  Lernaean 
marsh ;  the  lion  crouches  in  the  valley  of  Nemea ;  and  there 
is  more  than  one  wild  boar  in  the  forests  of  Erymanthus. 
Fever,  flood,  drouth,  and  fire  are  at  their  old  ravages,  and 
they  are  doubly  ferocious  when  they  have  reconquered  a 
territory  once  wrested  from  them. 

We  spent  a  night  in  Nauplia,  and  climbed  the  embattled 
rock  of  the  Palamidi.  The  town  is  small,  being  squeezed 
into  a  narrow  space  between  the  lower  fortress  and  the 
water.  The  houses  are  lofty,  well-built,  and  dirty,  as  in 
Italian  seaports,  and  there  are  two  diminutive  squares,  one 
of  which  has  a  monument  in  honor  of  Demetrius  Ypsilanti. 
It  has  been  decreed  to  erect  another  to  Capo  d'Istria — the 
only  efficient  ruler  Greece  has  had — but  some  years  have 
passed,  and  the  first  block  of  marble  is  not  yet  cut.  In 


ARGOLIS    AND    ARCADIA.  163 

place  of  it,  we  found  triumphal  arches  of  calico  comme 
morating  the  recent  festival,  and  an  Ionic  pillar  with  an 
astonishing  capital  supporting  a  pasteboard  figure  of  the 
King.  Workmen  were  just  taking  to  pieces  the  Doric 
columns  of  lath  and  muslin  which  had  been  erected  in  the 
principal  streets.  Outside  the  gate  there  was  another 
triumphal  arch,  the  supports  of  which  had  given  way,  so 
that  it  leaned  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  threatening 
to  fall  and  block  up  the  road.  I  could  not  look  upon  these 
monstrous  decorations  without  intense  disgust.  One  does 
not  expect  Greece  to  build  new  Parthenons  all  at  once, 
but  such  pitiful  gimcrackery  is  worthy  only  of  Ashantee  or 
Timbuctoo. 

The  morning  was  mild  and  cloudless.  A  light  breeze 
blew  from  the  west,  scarcely  rippling  the  beryl  sheet  of  the 
Argolic  Gulf,  while  the  wide,  amphitheatric  plain  basked 
in  the  fairest  sunshine.  We  mounted  the  steps  of  the 
fortress — 860  in  all — and  were  well  repaid,  not  so  much  by 
the  fortifications  as  by  the  glorious  Argive  panorama 
around  us.  The  position  is  one  of  immense  strength,  the 
rock  being  almost  precipitous  on  the  sea  side.  Eastward, 
it  falls  into  a  narrow  ridge,  connecting  it  with  two  hills  of 
nearly  equal  height,  but  too  distant  to  command  it.  The 
fortress,  like  all  Venetian  works  of  the  kind,  is  much  larger 
than  necessary,  consisting  of  several  detached  forts  inclosed 
within  one  wall  of  circuit.  The  principal  batteries  bear 
the  names  of  Phocion,  Epaminondas,  and  Miltiades.  The 
place  is  now  used  as  a  State  Prison,  and  we  had  the  satis 
faction  of  seeing  some  ten  or  twelve  manacled  brigands  in 
a  dirty  court-yard. 


164  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

We  were  two  days  in  riding  from  Nauplia  to  Tripolitza. 
There  is  a  broad  carriage-road  the  whole  way,  a  distance 
of  nearly  forty  miles,  the  construction  of  which  is  due  to 
local  enterprise,  300,000  drachmas  having  been  subscribed 
in  Tripolitza  alone.  The  only  fault  in  the  work  is  that  it  is 
too  well  done  for  the  needs  of  the  country.  It  is  carried 
over  two  branches  of  the  Parthenian  Mountains  by  zigzags 
of  so  easy  a  grade  that  the  actual  distance  is  trebled,  and 
horsemen  stick  to  the  old  road  in  preference.  The  work 
manship  is  good,  although  a  little  ragged  in  places,  and  the 
bridges  are  admirable.  The  Government  newspaper,  the 
Elpis,  recently  stated,  in  its  summing  up  of  the  benefits 
which  Greece  has  derived  from  the  reign  of  Otho,  the 
amount  of  the  roads  which  have  been  made.  I  find  the  total 
length  of  these  roads  to  be  less  than  120  miles ;  while,  if  we 
subtract  those  which  have  been  constructed  simply  for  the 
convenience  of  the  Court,  and  not  for  the  good  of  the 
country,  there  will  remain  barely  fifty  miles.  The  Greeks 
say,  and  their  friends  say  :  "  Don't  ask  too  much  of  us ;  we 
are  young  and  poor ;  we  have  not  the  means  to  accomplish 
more."  Yes  ;  but  you  build  a  palace  for  two  millions  of 
dollars ;  you  support  a  useless  army  of  military  and  naval 
leeches ;  you  give  to  the  Court  whenever  the  Court  asks, 
and  you  give  nothing  to  the  people.  You  adopt  the  policy 
of  Venice,  the  Eastern  Empire,  Turkey  even,  instead  of 
looking  for  example  and  guidance  to  the  countries  which 
now  lead  the  van  of  civilization. 

Riding  southward  along  the  beach,  after  leaving  Nauplia, 
we  passed  the  Government  stud,  established  for  the  purpose 
of  rearing  cavalry  horses.  Fran9ois  knew  the  Stallmeister, 


AKGOLIS   AND   ARCADIA.  165 

a  Mecklenburger  named  Springfeldt,  who  had  long  been  in 
Russian  service  at  Warsaw.  We  spent  an  hour  with  the 
tall,  strapping,  good-humored  fellow,  who  was  delighted  to 
talk  German  again.  He  had  been  there  three  months,  and 
seemed  very  well  satisfied  with  his  situation.  The  stallions, 
he  said,  were  mostly  of  Arabic  blood,  some  of  them  very 
fine  animals ;  but  no  judgment  had  been  exercised  in  the 
breeding,  and  the  colts  were  generally  inferior.  He  enter 
tained  us  with  "pitch-wine"  (as  he  called  it),  of  excellent 
quality,  at  five  cents  a  bottle. 

At  the  end  of  the  Argive  plain  is  the  little  village  of 
Miles,  where  Ypsilanti  gained  a  splendid  victory  over  the 
troops  of  Ibrahim  Pasha,  and  Col.  Miller  greatly  distin 
guished  himself.  On  the  left  is  the  Lernaean  marsh.  The 
road  now  climbed  across  the  Parthenian  mountains,  with  a 
glorious  backward  view  from  the  summit  ridge.  Nauplia, 
the  gulf  and  plain,  lay  at  our  very  feet,  bathed  in  a  flood  of 
airy  gold,  while  the  summits  at  hand  rose  dark  and  cold 
under  the  descending  folds  of  a  heavy  rain-cloud.  Beyond 
the  ridge  opened  a  stony  basin,  six  miles  in  diameter,  and 
arid  enough  to  be  the  home  of  the  Danaida3.  •  Passing  the 
ruins  of  a  pyramid,  we  descended  to  our  resting-place  for 
the  night,  the  khan  of  Achladokambos  (the  pear-garden). 
At  the  village  of  the  same  name,  on  the  hill  above,  the 
people  stole  the  King's  silver  plate  when  he  breakfasted 
there  on  one  of  his  early  journeys  through  the  Morea. 

The  next  day  we  crossed  a  second  range  of  the  mountains. 
The  road  was  thronged  with  asses  laden  with  bar-iron  or 
bales  of  dry-goods,  bound  inland,  while  an  equal  number, 
carrying  skins  of  oil  or  great  panniers  of  eggs — provision 


166  TRAVELS   IX   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

for  the  approaching  Easter  days — descended  to  the  coast. 
We  also  met  a  convoy  of  mules,  laden  with  money,  pro 
tected  by  a  guard  of  soldiers.  From  the  top  of  the  ridge 
we  saw  the  great  central  plain  of  Arcadia,  which  is  between 
two  and  three  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
Here  the  season  was  nearly  a  month  later  than  on  the 
plain  of  Argos,  and  the  country  had  a  gray,  wintry  look. 
There  is  no  sufficient  drainage  for  this  plain,  and  hence 
parts  of  it  are  marshy  and  miasmatic.  One  to  whom  poetry 
has  made  the  name  of  Arcadia  a  golden  sound,  the  key  to 
landscapes  of  ideal  loveliness,  skies  of  perpetual  Spring,  and 
a  pure  and  happy  race  of  men,  will  be  bitterly  disappointed 
as  he  descends  from  the  gusty  Parthenian  Hills.  In  this 
bleak  region,  surrounded  by  cold,  naked  mountains,  with 
its  rough  barbaric  Slavonian  population,  and  its  filthy  den 
of  a  capital,  he  will  not  recognise  one  feature  of  the  Arca 
dia  of  his  dreams.  But  so  it  is :  the  "  betta  etd  delP  oro"  of 
Tasso  and  Hesiod  never  existed  and  never  can  exist,  and 
Arcadia,  which  is  for  us  the  musical  name  of  a  beautiful 
impossibility,  signifies  no  more  to  the  modern  Greek  than 
Swampscot  or  Sheboygan. 

Tripolitza  soon  appeared  in  sight,  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains  which  inclose  the  plain  on  the  west.  It  is  an 
immense  straggling  village — a  mere  mass  of  red  tile-roofs — 
and  we  found  the  interior  even  less  attractive  than  the  dis 
tant  view.  Crooked  streets,  heaped  with  filth  and  inter 
rupted  by  pools  of  black  mud,  lead  between  rows  of  roughly- 
built,  dirty  stone  houses,  inhabited  by  people  as  rough  and 
dirty  as  they.  On  entering  the  place,  we  were  assailed  by 
a  multitude  of  beggars :  all  the  children  seemed  to  have 


ARGOLIS    AND   ARCADIA.  167 

adopted  this  profession.  The  female  costume  is  picturesque, 
and  struck  me  as  being  truly  antique  in  character.  It  con 
sists  of  a  white  muslin  petticoat,  over  which  is  a  short  tunic 
of  blue  cloth,  with  a  bright  red  border,  open  in  front  ;  a 
girdle  around  the  waist,  sleeves  of  yellow  or  some  gay 
color,  and  a  loose  white  handkerchief  enveloping  the  head. 
Most  of  the  men  have  Slavonic  features,  but  I  saw,  in  all, 
perhaps  half  a  dozen  true  Hellenic  faces. 

In  the  afternoon  we  set  off  for  Mantinsea,  distant  eight 
miles  to  the  northward.  Four  miles  from  Tripolitza,  the 
plain  turns  westward  around  an  angle  of  the  mountains, 
disclosing  a  higher  and  drier  level,  abounding  in  vineyards 
which  were  separated  by  hedges  of  thorn  and  blackberry. 
Our  road  was  upon  green  meadow  turf,  straight  across  the 
plain.  The  low,  white  walls  of  Mantinsea  now  met  the 
eye,  at  the  foot  of  a  round,  gray  hill,  over  which  towered 
the  snow-streaked  summit  of  Orchomenos.  On  approach 
ing  the  place,  we  could  readily  imagine  the  spot  where 
Epaminondas  fell,  and  the  part  of  the  hill  from  which  he 
directed  the  battle  in  his  dying  moments,  until  a  second 
daughter  of  victory  was  born  to  perpetuate  his  lineage. 
The  foundations  of  the  turreted  walls  can  be  traced 
throughout  their  whole  extent,  the  first  three  courses  being 
as  perfect  in  many  places  as  when  first  laid.  It  is  conjec 
tured  that  the  remaining  portion  was  of  brick. 

Black  sun-clouds  rested  on  all  the  mountains,  as  we  rode 
away  from  Tripolitza.  For  three  hours  we  followed  a 
rocky  bridle-path,  crossing  the  ridge  at  an  altitude  of  about 
4,000  feet.  By  noon  the  chilly  uplands  were  passed ;  the 
hills  suddenly  fell  away,  and  we  saw  far  below  us,  warm  in 


168  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

the  sunshine,  and  stretching  off  to  the  blue  Lycaean  Moun 
tains,  which  girdled  it  with  a  splendid  belt,  the  valley  of 
the  Alpheus.  Dense  copses  of  shrubbery,  studded  with 
gnarled  oak  trees,  covered  the  mountain  sides;  the  blue 
crocus  and  pale  star-flower  spangled  the  sunny  banks; 
fresh  grain-fields  and  meadows  of  sprouting  turf  bright 
ened  the  immense  valley,  and  the  red  roofs  of  towns,  with 
cypresses  rising  from  their  midst,  dotted  it  here  and  there. 
Away  to  the  right  was  Karytena,  the  rock-fortress  of  Colo- 
cotroni;  in  front  Sinanu,  on  the  site  of  ancient  Megalo 
polis  ;  and  to  the  left,  at  the  entrance  of  a  defile  command 
ing  the  road  to  Sparta,  Leondari. 

Descending  to  the  floor  of  the  valley,  we  rode  over  the 
oozy  turf  to  Sinanu,  a  scattering  town,  with  broad,  grassy 
streets.  We  met  many  shepherds  in  shaggy  sheepskin 
capotes  and  with  long  crooks  in  their  hands.  The  people 
came  in  a  body  to  the  dirty  little  cafe  where  we  halted,  in 
order  to  stare  at  us.  Three  or  four  spruce  young  palikars 
offered  to  accompany  us  to  the  theatre  of  Megalopolis, 
which  is  about  half  a  mile  to  the  north  of  the  town.  As 
Fran9ois  had  told  them  that  I  spoke  both  ancient  and 
modern  Greek,  they  plied  me  with  questions  the  whole 
way,  and  I  was  sorely  troubled  to  keep  up  my  reputation 
for  scholarship.  These  people  were  almost  entirely  of 
Slavonic  blood,  which  is  no  doubt  the  predominating 
element  in  Greece.  Groups  of  villagers  sat  in  the  sun — 
happy  Arcadians! — and  skilfully  explored  each  other's 
heads.  Both  Sinanu  and  Leondari  were  very  rich  places 
under  the  Turks,  but  are  now  miserably  poor,  or  seem  to 
be  so.  The  country  Greeks  hide  their  money,  and  are 
therefore  often  richer  than  they  appear. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

TOUR    DAYS     AMONG    THE     SPARTANS. 

LEONDARI,  where  we  passed  the  night,  is  on  the  frontier 
of  Sparta,  but  still  in  Arcadia.  Here  Alpheus,  from  his 
"  glacier  cold  "  on  Taygetus,  rushes  down  the  hills  in  pur 
suit  of  his  Dorian  Arethusa.  Here  is  still  the  rural  paradise 
of  ancient  Greece,  with  its  pure  air,  its  sweet  waters,  its 
seclusion  and  peace — but  alas !  the  people.  We  overlooked 
long  tracts  of  oak  forests — nothing  but  oak — some  ancient 
trunks,  gnarled  and  hoary  with  a  thousand  years,  and 
younger  woods  covering  the  gently-rounded  knolls.  The 
morning  was  divinely  clear  and  brilliant,  but  cold,  with  a 
thin  sheet  of  ice  on  standing  water.  In  an  hour  and  a  half, 
after  threading  scattering  groves  of  oak  and  ilex,  we  passed 
a  low  bar  connecting  Taygetus  with  Mena3lus  on  the  north, 
and  this,  as  I  rightly  guessed,  was  the  water-shed  between 
the  Alpheus  and  the  Eurotas — the  boundary  of  Sparta. 
In  the  splendor  of  the  day,  every  feature  of  the  landscape 
had  its  clearest  form  and  its  richest  coloring,  and  from  the 
beds  of  daisy  and  crocus  at  our  feet  to  the  snowy  pyramids 


170  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

of  Taygetus,  high  above  us,  everything  spoke  of  life  and 
of  Spring.  There  is  a  village  called  Longaniko,  in  a  very 
wild  position,  high  up  under  the  very  crest  of  the  moun 
tain,  which  supplies  the  Morea  with  physicians.  The  boys 
are  even  sent  to  France  and  Germany  to  complete  their 
studies.  During  the  day  we  met  with  numbers  of  peasants, 
driving  asses  laden  with  bundles  of  young  mulberry  and 
olive  trees,  from  the  nurseries  of  Sparta.  There  was  re 
freshing  evidence  of  improvement,  in  the  amount  of  new 
ground  brought  under  cultivation. 

As  we  approached  Sparta,  the  road  descended  to  the 
banks  of  the  Eurotas.  Traces  of  the  ancient  wralls  which 
restrained  the  river  still  remain  in  places,  but,  in  his  shifting 
course,  he  has  swept  the  most  of  them  away,  and  spread 
his  gravelly  deposits  freely  over  the  bottoms  inclosed  be 
tween  the  spurs  of  the  hills.  The  clumps  of  poplar,  willow, 
and  sycamore  which  lined  the  stream,  and  the  thickets  of 
blackberry,  mastic,  ilex,  and  arbutus  through  which  our 
road  wound,  gave  the  scenery  a  charmingly  wild  and  rural 
aspect.  The  hills — deposits  of  alluvium  left  by  the  pre- 
Adamite  floods — took  the  most  remarkable  forms,  showing 
regular  terraces,  cones,  pyramids,  and  bastions,  as  they  fell 
off  towards  the  river.  Towards  evening  we  saw,  at  a  dis 
tance,  the  white  houses  of  modern  Sparta,  and  presently 
some  indications  of  the  ancient  city.  At  first,  the  remains 
of  terraces  and  ramparts,  then  the  unmistakable  Hellenic 
walls,  and,  as  the  superb  plain  of  the  Eurotas  burst 
upon  us,  stretching,  in  garden-like  beauty,  to  the  foot 
of  the  abrupt  hills,  over  which  towered  the  sun-touched 
snows  of  Taygetus,  we  saw,  close  on  our  right,  almost 


FOUR    DAYS    AMONG    THE    SPAKTANS.  171 

the  only  relic  of  the  lost  ages — the  theatre.  Riding 
across  a  field  of  wheat,  which  extended  all  over  the 
scene  of  the  Spartan  gymnastic  exhibitions,  we  stood  on 
the  proscenium  and  contemplated  these  silent  ruins,  and 
the  broad  beautiful  landscape.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  views 
in  Greece — not  so  crowded  with  striking  points,  not  so 
splendid  in  associations  as  that  of  Athens,  but  larger, 
grander,  richer  in  coloring.  The  plain,  watered  by  the 
unfailing  Eurotas,  is  covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation,  and 
opens  its  fruitful  lap  to  the  noonday  sun.  In  warm  coun 
tries  water  is  the  great  fertilizer,  and  no  part  of  Greece  is 
so  well  supplied  in  this  respect  as  Sparta. 

Besides  the  theatre,  the  only  remains  are  some  masses  of 
Roman  brickwork,  and  the  massive  substructions  of  a  small 
temple  which  the  natives  call  the  tomb  of  Leonidas.  I 
walked  over  the  shapeless  rubbish  which  covers  the  five 
hills,  without  a  single  feeling  of  regret.  There  were  great 
fighters  before  Agamemnon,  and  there  are  as  brave  men  as 
Leonidas  to-day.  As  for  the  race  of  military  savages  whom 
Lycurgus — the  man  of  ice  and  iron — educated  here,  who 
would  wish  to  restore  them  ?  The  one  virtue  of  the  Spar 
tans — bravery — is  always  exaggerated,  because  it  is  their 
only  noble  trait.  They  were  coarse,  cruel,  treacherous,  and 
dishonest,  and  while  they  acted  in  two  or  three  instances  as 
a  shield  to  Greece,  they  dealt  the  perfidious  stabs  through 
which  she  perished  at  last.  In  art,  literature,  science,  and 
philosophy,  we  owe  nothing  to  Sparta.  She  has  bequeathed 
to  us  only  a  few  individual  examples  of  splendid  heroism, 
and  a  code  which,  God  be  thanked,  can  never  be  put  in 
practice  again. 


172  TKAVJELS    IN    GKEECE    A1SJD   KUSSIA. 

We  spent  the  night  in  a  comfortable  house,  which 
actually  boasted  of  a  floor,  glass  windows,  and  muslin  cur 
tains.  On  returning  to  the  theatre  in  the  morning,  we 
turned  aside  into  a  plowed  field  to  inspect  a  sarcophagus 
which  had  just  been  discovered.  It  still  lay  in  the  pit 
where  it  was  found,  and  was  entire,  with  the  exception  of 
the  lid.  It  was  ten  feet  long  by  four  broad,  and  was 
remarkable  in  having  a  division  at  one  end,  forming  a 
smaller  chamber,  as  if  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  the 
bones  of  a  child.  From  the  theatre  I  made  a  sketch  of  the 
valley,  with  the  dazzling  ridge  of  Taygetus  in  the  rear,  and 
Mistra,  the  mediaeval  Sparta,  hanging  on  the  steep  sides  of 
one  of  his  gorges.  The  sun  was  intensely  hot,  and  we  were 
glad  to  descend  again,  making  our  way  through  tall  wheat, 
past  walls  of  Roman  brickwork  and  scattering  blocks  of 
the  older  city,  to  the  tomb  of  Leonidas.  This  is  said  to  be 
a  temple,  though  there  are  traces  of  vaults  and  passages 
beneath  the  pavement,  which  do  not  quite  harmonize  with 
such  a  conjecture.  It  is  composed  of  huge  blocks  of  brec 
cia,  some  of  them  thirteen  feet  long. 

I  determined  to  make  an  excursion  to  the  mountain  dis 
trict  of  Main  a,  which  comprises  the  range  of  Taygetus,  and 
the  promontory  of  Tenarus,  between  the  Laconian  and 
Messenian  Gulfs.  This  is  a  region  rarely  visited  by  travel 
lers,  who  are  generally  frightened  off  by  the  reputation  of 
its  inhabitants,  who  are  considered  by  the  Greeks  to  be 
bandits  and  cut-throats  to  a  man.  The  Mainotes  are,  for 
the  most  partr  lineal  descendants  of  the  ancient  Spartans, 
and  from  the  decline  of  the  Roman  power  up  to  the  pre 
sent  century,  have  preserved  a  virtual  independence  in 


FOUK   DAYS   AMONG   THE   SPAKTANS.  173 

their  mountain  fastnesses.  The  worship  of  the  pagan 
deities  existed  among  them  as  late  as  the  eighth  century. 
They  were  never  conquered  by  the  Turks,  and  it  required 
considerable  management  to  bring  them  under  the  rule  of 
Otho.  A  Greek  poet,  fifty  years  ago,  writes  of  them : 
"  Let  all  honest  men  fly  from  them  as  from  a  serpent.  May 
the  plague  and  the  drought  blast  them  all !"  Dr.  Kalopo- 
thakes,  a  born  Mainote,  who  received  his  medical  education 
in  Philadelphia,  assured  me,  however,  that  I  should  not 
meet  with  the  least  difficulty  in  travelling  through  the 
country.  My  principal  object  was  to  ascertain  whether  the 
ancient  Greek  face  and  form  still  exist  among  those  whose 
blood  may  be  presumed  to  be  purest  of  all  the  fragments 
of  the  ancient  stock.  A  thorough  investigation  of  the  cha 
racter  and  habits  of  the  people  necessarily  requires  a  fami 
liar  knowledge  of  the  language. 

Starting  at  noon,  we  passed  through  the  modern  Sparta, 
which  is  well  laid  out  with  broad  streets.  The  site  is 
superb,  and  in  the  course  of  time  the  new  town  will  take 
the  place  of  Mistra.  We  rode  southward,  down  the  valley 
of  the  Eurotas,  through  orchards  of  olive  and  mulberry. 
In  one  place  some  thirty  men  were  at  work,  digging  up  the 
plain  with  large  hoes,  in  order  to  plant  a  vineyard.  The 
proprietor,  a  handsomely-dressed  palikar,  with  pistols  in  his 
belt,  was  directing  the  labor.  We  now  entered  a  tangled 
maze  of  rough  alluvial  hills,  threaded  by  frequent  streams 
which  came  down  from  Taygetus.  Here  we  met  a  proces 
sion  of  ragged  but  very  good-humored  young  fellows,  the 
last  of  whom  carried  a  cross  decorated  with  gilt  paper  and 
laurel  leaves.  A  Spartan,  who  was  riding  with  us,  said 


174  TRAVELS   IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

they  had  been  celebrating  the  festival  of  St.  Lazarus. 
There  was  the  greatest  diversity  of  character  in  the  faces 
we  saw.  A  very  few  were  of  the  antique  type,  some  Turk 
ish,  many  Albanese  or  Slavonic,  and  some  actually  Irish  in 
every  respect.  Our  sailors  are  accustomed  to  call  the  Irish 
Greeks,  and  the  term  is  more  than  a  mere  chance.  There 
are  very  striking  points  of  resemblance  in  character — the 
same  vanity,  talent  for  repartee,  tenacity  of  religious  faith, 
and  happy  lack  of  forethought.  If  the  Greeks,  on  one 
hand,  are  more  temperate,  the  Irish,  on  the  other,  are  more 
hospitable  ;  if  the  former  blunder  less,  the  latter  cheat  less. 

We  stopped  for  the  night  at  the  little  khan  of  Levetzova. 
When  Francois  last  visited  this  place,  fourteen  years  before, 
he  found  the  khanji  lying  dead  upon  the  floor,  having  just 
been  murdered.  It  was  a  case  of  blood  revenge,  and  the 
assassin  came  all  the  way  from  Smyrna  to  effect  his  pur 
pose.  I  asked  the  present  khanji  whether  the  country 
was  quiet.  "  Here  it  is  very  quiet,"  said  he,  "  but  as  for 
foreign  parts,  I  don't  know  how  it  is."  I  saw  some  cows 
pasturing  here,  quite  a  rare  sight  in  Greece,  where  genuine 
butter  is  unknown.  That  which  is  made  from  the  milk  of 
sheep  and  goats  is  no  better  than  mild  tallow.  The  people 
informed  me,  however,  that  they  make  cheese  from  cow's 
milk,  but  not  during  Lent.  They  are  now  occupied  with 
rearing  Paschal  lambs,  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  which  are 
slaughtered  in  Greece  on  Easter  Day. 

The  next  morning  we  rode  over  hills  covered  with  real 
turf,  a  little  thin,  perhaps,  but  still  a  rare  sight  in  southern 
lands.  The  red  anemone  mantled  the  slopes  as  with  a  sheet 
of  fire ;  the  furze  bushes  shone  with  a  shower  of  golden 


FOUK   DAYS   AMONG   THE   SPARTANS.  175 

blossoms,  which  wholly  concealed  their  prickly  stems,  and 
on  moist  banks  the  daisy,  violet,  buttercup,  crocus,  and  star- 
wort  formed  mosaics  of  spring  bloom.  The  hills  were  dot 
ted  with  groves  of  the  oak  which  produces  valonia  or  nut- 
galls.  But  for  the  mastic  and  oleander,  and  the  carob-trees, 
with  their  dark,  glossy  foliage,  I  could  have  believed  my 
self  among  the  German  hills  at  the  end  of  May.  In  two 
hours  we  entered  the  territory  of  Maina,  on  the  crest  of  a 
hill,  where  we  saw  Marathonisi  (the  ancient  Gythium), 
lying  warm  upon  the  Laconian  Gulf.  The  town  is  a  steep, 
dirty,  labyrinthine  place,  and  so  rarely  visited  by  strangers 
that  our  appearance  created  quite  a  sensation.  Fran9ois, 
as  usual,  was  furious  at  being  catechised,  and  snubbed  the 
highest  officials  in  the  most  despotic  manner.  When  I 
remonstrated,  he  replied,  *"  What  can  one  do  ?  If  I  ask, 
'Where  is  the  khan?'  instead  of  answering,  they  cry  out, 
'  Where  do  you  come  from  ?  where  are  you  going  to  ?  who 
are  the  strangers?  what  are  their  names?  how  old  are 
they?  what  do  they  travel  for?'  Diable!  If  it  was  a 
Turkish  country,  I  should  not  be  bothered  in  this  way. 
We  should  be  entertained,  we  should  eat,  drink,  and  smoke, 
before  we  heard  a  question ;  but  good  manners  among  the 
Turks  and  Christians  are  two  different  things !" 

We  took  refuge  in  a  cafe,  and  ate  our  ham  and  eggs  in 
public,  to  the  horror  of  the  orthodox  spectators.  I  made 
acquaintance  with  the  teacher  of  the  Government  school, 
who  gave  the  people  an  excellent  character,  but  lamented 
their  slowness  in  learning.  Fran 9013  also  found  an  old  ac 
quaintance,  a  former  fellow-soldier  in  Fabvier's  expedition 
against  Scio,  who  took  us  to  his  house  and  regaled  us  with 


176  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

coffee  and  preserved  quinces.  His  daughter,  a  slender, 
handsome  girl  of  sixteen,  waited  upon  us.  The  father 
complained  that  he  had  not  yet  saved  enough  for  her 
dowry,  as  he  could  not  expect  to  get  her  married  for  less 
than  two  thousand  drachmas  ($333).  For  this  reason  sons 
are  more  profitable  than  daughters  to  Greek  parents,  and 
of  course  much  more  welcome. 

As  the  road  beyond  Marathonisi  is  impracticable  for 
laden  horses,  we  engaged  two  mules,  and  set  out  for 
Tzimova,  on  the  western  side  of  the  Mainote  peninsula. 
This  is  the  only  road  across  Taygetus  which  is  passable  in 
winter,  as  there  is  a  very  sudden  and  singular  break  in  the 
high  snowy  range  between  the  two  ports.  After  leaving 
Marathonisi  and  the  barren  little  isle  (50  by  200  yards  in 
extent)  where  Paris  and  Helen  passed  the  first  night  after 
their  elopement,  the  scenery  suddenly  changed.  A  broad, 
rich  valley  opened  before  us,  crossed  by  belts  of  poplar 
and  willow  trees,  and  inclosed  by  a  semicircle  of  hills,  most 
of  which  were  crowned  with  the  lofty  towers  of  the  Mai- 
notes.  In  Maina  almost  every  house  is  a  fortress.  The 
law  of  blood  revenge,  the  right  of  which  is  transmitted 
from  father  to  son,  draws  the  whole  population  under  its 
bloody  sway  in  the  course  of  a  few  generations.  Life  is  a 
running  fight,  and  every  foe  slain  entails  on  the  slayer  a 
new  penalty  of  retribution  for  himself  and  his  descendants 
for  ever.  Previous  to  the  Revolution  most  of  the  Mainote 
families  lived  in  a  state  of  alternate  attack  and  siege. 
Their  houses  are  square  towers,  forty  or  fifty  feet  high, 
with  massive  walls,  and  windows  so  narrow  that  they  may 
be  used  as  loopholes  for  musketry.  The  first  story  is  at  a 


FOUR   DAYS    AMONG   THE   SPAKTANS.  177 

considerable  distance  from  the  ground,  and  reached  by  a 
long  ladder  which  can  be  drawn  up  so  as  to  cut  off  all  com 
munication.  Some  of  the  towers  are  further  strengthened 
by  a  semicircular  bastion,  projecting  from  the  side  most 
liable  to  attack.  The  families  supplied  themselves  with  tele 
scopes,  to  look  out  for  enemies  in  the  distance,  and  always 
had  a  store  of  provisions  on  hand,  in  case  of  a  siege. 
Although  this  private  warfare  has  been  suppressed,  the  law 
of  revenge  exists. 

From  the  summit  of  the  first  range  we  overlooked  a 
wild,  glorious  landscape.  The  hills,  wooded  with  oak,  and 
swimming  in  soft  blue  vapor,  interlocked  far  before  us, 
inclosing  the  loveliest  green  dells  in  their  embraces,  and 
melting  away  to  the  break  in  Taygetus,  which  yawned  in 
the  distance.  On  the  right  towered  the  square,  embrasured 
castle  of  Passava,  on  the  summit  of  an  almost  inaccessible 
hill — the  site  of  the  ancient  Las.  Far  and  near,  the  lower 
heights  were  crowned  with  tall  white  towers.  The  men 
were  all  in  the  fields  plowing.  They  were  healthy,  tough, 
symmetrical  fellows,  and  there  was  old  Hellenic  blood  in 
their  veins.  They  greeted  us  in  a  friendly  way,  and  one 
whom  I  questioned  concerning  the  road  to  Tzimova,  an 
swered  :  "  It  is  four  hours  yet,  but  I  pray  you  to  forgive 
me,  for  the  road  is  very  bad."  For  two  or  three  hours  we 
threaded  a  terrific  gorge,  through  scenery  as  rugged  and 
grand  as  that  of  Norway.  On  every  side  were  unusual 
evidences  of  industry — enormous  heaps  of  stone  removed 
to  make  room  for  little  grain-plots,  barren  slopes  reclaimed 
by  artificial  water  courses,  and  terraces  climbing  the  moun 
tains  until  the  loftiest  strips  of  srreen  seemed  to  be  stuck 

" 


178  TRAVELS    IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

against  the  sheer  walls  of  rock.  On  expressing  my  delight 
at  seeing  such  signs  of  patient  labor,  Francois,  who  shares 
the  usual  Greek  prejudice  against  the  Mainotes,  answered: 
"  But  all  this  is  the  work  of  the  women.  The  men  are 
lazy  vagabonds,  who  sit  all  day  in  the  villages,  and  smoke 
paper  cigars.  The  country  is  too  poor  to  support  its 
population,  and  you  will  find  Syra  and  Smyrna  full  of 
Mainote  porters."  There  may  be  some  truth  in  this 
accusation,  but  it  is  exaggerated. 

At  sunset,  after  climbing  a  rocky  staircase,  we  reached  a 
little  platform  between  the  opposing  capes  of  Taygetus, 
whence  we  saw  both  the  Laconian  and  Messenian  Gulfs.  A 
still  more  dreary  landscape  lay  before  us,  and  there  were  no 
signs  of  Tzimova.  The  dusk  fell,  we  dismounted  and 
walked  behind  our  spent  horses,  and  so  two  hours  passed 
away.  Frangois  heaped  anathemas  upon  the  head  of  his 
friend  in  Marathonisi.  "The  stupid  beast!"  he  exclaimed; 
"  he  told  us  it  was  only  four  hours  to  Tzimova,  and  we  have 
already  been  six  upon  the  road."  I  gave  him  a  cigar,  the 
moral  effect  of  which  was  soon  made  manifest.  "After 
all,"  he  added,  with  a  milder  voice,  between  the  whiffs, 
"  Dernetri  meant  well  enough,  and  if  he  was  mistaken 
about  the  distance,  it  is  perhaps  not  his  fault."  "  So, 
Fran9ois,"  I  remarked,  uyou  find  that  smoking  improves 
your  temper?"  "Ah,  yes,"  he  answered,  "  my  body  is  to 
blame  for  all  the  sins  I  ever  committed.  I  can  trace  every 
one  to  the  fact  of  my  having  had  no  tobacco,  or  not  enough 
to  eat,  or  too  much  to  drink."  At  last  we  came  upon  olive 
groves,  glimmering  in  the  moonlight  like  the  ghosts  of 
trees,  and  then  the  scattered  towers  of  Tzimova.  I  had 


FOUR   DAYS   AMONG   THE   SPARTANS.  179 

neglected  to  procure  letters  from  Dr.  Kalopothakes  in 
Athens  to  his  relatives  here,  and  Frangois  had  but  one 
acquaintance,  whom  he  had  not  heard  of  for  fourteen  years ; 
so  we  were  doubtful  whether  we  should  obtain  quarters 
for  the  night.  Reaching  a  little  open  place,  however, 
where  some  men  were  assembled,  we  asked  whether  any 
one  would  receive  us  into  his  house.  Thereupon  stepped 
forth  a  man  with  instant  and  cordial  assent — and  to  our 
wonder  he  proved  to  be,  not  only  the  old  friend  of 
Fran9ois,  but  one  of  the  relatives  of  my  friend,  the 
Doctor !  In  five  minutes  we  were  installed  in  the  clean  and 
comfortable  abode  of  his  Holiness,  the  Bishop,  who  was 
absent,  and  F.,  as  he  set  about  preparing  one  of  his 
marvellous  soups,  whispered % to  me:  "This  is  what  the 
Turks  call  destiny,  and,  ma  foi  !  they  are  right.  An  hour 
ago  I  was  on  the  brink  of  despair,  and  now  the  gates  of 
Paradise  are  opened." 

In  the  morning  wre  visited  the  other  members  of  the 
house  of  Kalopothakes,  and  were  very  courteously  received. 
The  people  collected  to  stare  at  us,  and  a  pack  of  boys 
tramped  at  our  heels,  but  their  manners  were  entirely  kind 
and  friendly.  Here  the  Slavonic  element  predominated,  there 
being  few  Greek  faces  except  among  the  women.  The 
name  of  the  place  has  recently  been  changed  to  Areopolis, 
though  I  cannot  find  that  any  ancient  city  of  that  name 
ever  existed  here.  As  we  started  in  the  morning  on  our 
way  up  the  western  base  of  the  Taygetus,  a  fierce-looking 
palikar  in  fustanella  and  scarlet  drawers  came  towards  us, 
jumping  over  the  stone  fences  of  the  gardens.  He  shook 
hands  with  us,  scanned  us  from  head  to  foot,  and  then, 


180  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

turning  to  the  Tzimovites  who  were  escorting  us,  asked, 
"Who  are  these?"  "They  are  Englishmen— travellers," 
was  the  answer.  "You  will  go  to  Yitylo:  that  is  my 
town,"  said  he  to  me — "ec/iete  egeian  /"  (may  you  have 
health)  and  forthwith  strode  away.  He  was  the  chief  of 
Yitylo,  which  is  only  about  three  miles  north  of  Tzimova, 
although  we  were  two  hours  on  the  way,  so  terrific  is  the 
mountain  road. 

Vitylo  is  built  on  the  brow  of  a  precipice,  more  than  a 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  Our  road,  winding  back  and 
forth  along  the  face  of  the  rock,  was  like  a  path  made  by 
the  infernal  powers  over  the  mountains  which  guarded 
Eden.  Far  up,  apparently  trembling  in  the  air,  as  if  giddy 
with  their  position,  the  tower-dwellings  of  the  town  over 
hung  us,  but  the  sheer  yellow  rocks,  piled  upon  each  other 
like  huge  steps,  were  draped  with  all  manner  of  wild  vines, 
flowers,  and  ivy,  and  every  narrow  shelf  between  was  a 
garden  of  velvet  soil,  out  of  which  grew  olive  and  fig 
trees  of  enormous  size.  The  people  at  work  in  these 
gardens  were  all  armed.  They  wore  a  costume  something 
like  that  of  the  Cretans,  and  the  stamp  of  ancient  Greece 
was  upon  their  faces.  A  handsome,  fierce  boy,  who  was 
leaning  over  the  edge  of  a  rock  above  the  road,  looked  me 
full  in  the  face,  and  asked,  with  a  sort  of  savage  suspicion, 
"  What  do  you  want  here  ?"  The  town  was  crowded  with 
idlers,  with  knives  in  their  belts  and  cigars  in  their  mouths. 
Some  twenty  girls,  who  came  down  from  the  mountains, 
each  with  a  donkey-load  of  furze  upon  her  back,  resembled 
antique  goddesses  in  a  menial  disguise.  Xo  dirt  or  labor 
could  conceal  their  symmetry,  and  the  barbarism  of  a 


FOUR   DAYS    AMONG   THE   SPARTANS.  181 

thousand  years  had  not  destroyed  the  type  of  their  ancient 
race. 

There  is  a  curious  story  connected  with  Yitylo.  About 
a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  say  the  people,  emigration 
from  Mania  into  Corsica  was  frequent ;  among  others,  the 
family  of  Kalomiris,  or  Kalomeros  (both  names  are  men 
tioned),  from  Vitylo,  who,  soon  after  their  settlement  in 
Corsica,  translated  their  name  into  Italian — Bonaparte. 
From  this  family  came  Napoleon,  who  was  therefore  of 
Mainote,  or  ancient  Spartan  blood.  Pietro  Mavromakhalis, 
it  is  said,  when  he  visited  Napoleon  at  Trieste,  claimed  him 
as  a  fellow-countryman  on  the  faith  of  this  story.  The 
Mainotes  implicitly  believe  it :  the  emigration  at  the  time 
mentioned  is  a  matter  of  history,  and  the  fact  that  the  name 
of  Bonaparte  previously  existed  in  Italy,  is  no  proof  that 
the  Corsican  Bonapartes  may  not  originally  have  been  the 
Kalomeros  of  Maina.  The  thing  is  possible  enough,  and 
somebody  who  is  sufficiently  interested  in  the  present  race 
of  Bonapartes  to  make  researches,  would  probably  be  able 
to  settle  the  question. 

Our  road  for  the  remainder  of  the  day  was  indescribably 
bad.  For  several  hours  we  traversed  a  stony,  sloping 
terrace  on  the  side  of  Taygetns,  1,500  feet  above  the  sea, 
and  crossed  by  great  yawning  gorges,  which  must  be 
doubled  with  much  labor.  The  people  said  :  "  The  road  is 
very  good,  since  our  Bishop  has  had  it  mended.  Formerly 
it  was  bad."  What  is  a  bad  road  in  Maina  ?  Mix  together 
equal  portions  of  limestone  quarries,  unmade  pavements, 
huge  boulder-stones,  and  loose  beach  shingle,  and  you  will 
have  a  mild  idea  of  the  present  good  one.  There  were 


182  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

many  villages  scattered  along  the  terrace,  frequently  so 
close  to  each  other  as  almost  to  form  a  continuous  town. 
The  clear  water-veins  of  Taygetus  burst  to  light  in  spacious 
stone  fountains,  over  which  arose  large  arches  of  masonry, 
festooned  with  ivy.  There  were  also  a  great  multitude  of 
churches,  many  of  unmixed  Byzantine  style,  and  several 
centuries  old.  The  people — true  Greeks,  almost  to  a  man 
— accosted  us  with  the  most  cordial  and  friendly  air.  The 
universal  salutation  was  "  Kalos  orizete!"  (welcome),  in 
stead  of  the  '•'•Kali  emera sas I '"  (good-day  to  you!)  which 
is  used  in  other  parts  of  Greece.  Although  many  of  the 
natives  were  poor  and  ragged,  we  saw  but  four  beggars  in 
all  Maina,  while  on  entering  Kalamata,  the  next  afternoon, 
we  encountered  twelve  in  succession. 

The  descent  to  the  sea-level  was  by  a  frightful  ladder, 
which  it  required  all  the  strength  and  skill  of  our  poor 
beasts  to  descend.  We  had  dismounted  long  before  this, 
as  riding  had  become  a  much  greater  labor  than  walking. 
Pericles,  one  of  our  agoyats,  exclaimed  :  "I  was  never  in 
this  country  of  Maina  before.  If  I  should  happen  to  be 
fettered  and  brought  here  by  force,  I  might  see  it  again  ; 
but  of  my  own  will,  never  !  "  We  passed  many  traces  of 
ancient  quarries,  and  the  sites  of  the  Laconian  towns  of 
Thalamse  and  Leuctra,  but  a  few  hewn  blocks  are  all  that 
remain.  After  twelve  hours  of  the  most  laborious  travel, 
and  long  after  night  had  set  in,  we  reached  the  little  town 
of  Skardamula.  A  shepherd  on  his  way  to  the  mountains 
turned  back  on  learning  that  we  were  strangers,  and  as 
sisted  us  to  find  lodgings.  But  this  was  not  difficult.  Al 
most  the  first  man  we  met  took  us  into  his  lofty  tower  of 


FOUK   DAYS    AMONG   THE    SPARTANS.  183 

defence,  the  upper  room  of  which  was  vacated  for  us.  The 
people  were  curious,  but  kind,  and  I  found  my  liking  for 
the  Mainotes  increasing  with  every  day.  Frar^ois,  how 
ever,  would  know  no  good  of  them,  and  the  Athenians 
opened  their  eyes  in  astonishment  when  they  heard  mo 
praise  those  savage  mountaineers. 

We  had  a  lenten  supper  of  fish  and  vegetables,  and  slept 
securely  in  our  lofty  chamber.  In  the  morning  we  received 
a  visit  from  the  Demarch,  who  courteously  offered  us  re 
freshments.  The  people  who  assembled  to  see  us  off  were 
very  handsome — of  the  ancient  blood,  almost  without  ex 
ception.  On  crossing  the  river  beyond  the  village  I  was  so 
struck  with  the  magnificent  landscape  that  I  halted  an 
hour  to  sketch  it.  Before  us  lay  Skardamula,  its  tall 
towers  rising  above  the  mulberry  and  sycamore  trees  which 
lined  the  bank.  Hills  covered  with  fig  and  olive,  and 
crowned  with  the  dark  shafts  of  the  cypress,  rose  beyond, 
a  Mainote  fortress  on  every  commanding  point.  On  our 
left  issued  the  river  from  a  gigantic  gorge  between  preci 
pices  of  pale-red  rock :  a  line  of  bastion-like  hills  stood  in 
front  of  the  high  purple  peaks  around  which  scarfs  of 
morning  vapor  were  continually  twisting  and  unrolling 
themselves,  while,  through  the  gaps  between  them,  glim 
mered  like  fields  of  frosted  silver  the  snowy  cones  of  the 
Taygetus. 

Climbing  a  high  headland  of  the  coast  by  a  rocky  ladder, 
we  descended  on  the  other  side  into  a  lovely  valley,  in  the 
lap  of  which,  embowered  in  cypress  groves,  lay  the  village 
of  Malta.  Another  castle  was  placed  at  our  disposal,  for 
breakfast,  but  we  could  get  nothing  except  a  few  eggs. 


184  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

Fran9ois  was  especially  ill-humored  on  finding  that  no 
wine  was  to  be  had.  "  I  suppose,"  said  he  to  the  people, 
"  your  priest  here  uses  brandy  when  he  celebrates  mass." 
Presently,  however,  we  had  a  visit  from  the  captain  of  the 
gend'armes,  Avho  politely  inquired  whether  he  could  assist 
us  in  any  way.  "Not  unless  you  could  give  us  some 
wine,"  answered  Fran9ois,  rather  scornfully.  To  my 
surprise,  the  captain  instantly  despatched  a  villager  to  the 
priest,  who  soon  came,  accompanied  by  ajar  of  the  desired 
beverage.  The  captain  now  received  the  most  courteous 
replies  to  his  inquiries,  a  very  genial  conversation  followed, 
and  we  parted  from  the  company  in  the  most  friendly 
manner. 

The  journey  to  Kalamata  occupied  six  hours,  through 
scenery  as  rich  and  magnificent  as  that  of  Italian  Switzer 
land.  The  eye  ranged  from  orange  orchards  and  groves  of 
cypress  on  the  rocky  terraces  near  the  sea,  to  forests  of 
fir  on  the  higher  hills,  bristling  with  robber  towers,  while, 
far  above,  the  sharp  white  peaks  flashed  and  glittered  in 
the  blue.  While  descending  to  the  plain  at  the  head  of  the 
Gulf,  where  we  left  the  Mainote  territory,  I  met  Ariadne, 
carrying  a  load  of  Avood  on  her  back.  Even  in  this  posi 
tion,  bent  under  her  burden,  she  exhibited  a  more  perfect 
beauty,  a  more  antique  grace,  than  any  woman  you  will 
see  in  Broadway  in  the  course  of  a  week.  If  such  be  the 
Greek  race  now,  in  its  common  forms,  what  must  have 
been  those  refined  Athenian  women  whom  Phidias  saw  ? 
Since  I  beheld  Ariadne,  ancient  art  has  become  a  reality. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Kalamata,  a  large, 
straggling,  busy  town,  with  a  dismantled  acropolis,  and 


FOUR   DAYS   AMONG   THE    SPARTANS.  185 

took  up  our  quarters  in  the  "  Grand  Hotel  of  Messenia." 
The  filthy  rooms  of  this  establishment  were  not  a  pleasant 
change  from  the  airy  towers  of  Maina.  All  the  afternoon, 
as  I  sat  at  the  window,  the  boys  tormented  an  idiot  in  the 
street  below,  and  all  night  there  was  such  a  succession  of 
discordant  noises  through  the  house,  that  we  got  but  little 
sleep. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

MESSENIA,     ELIS,     AND     ACHAIA. 

THE  plain  of  Messenia,  over  which  we  rode,  after  leaving 
Kalamata,  is  the  richest  part  of  the  Morea.  Although 
its  groves  of  orange  and  olive,  fig  and  mulberry,  were 
entirely  destroyed  during  the  Egyptian  occupation,  new 
and  more  vigorous  shoots  have  sprung  up  from  the 
old  stumps,  and  the  desolated  country  is  a  garden  again, 
apparently  as  fair  and  fruitful  as  when  it  excited  the 
covetousness  of  the  Spartan  thieves.  Sloping  to  the  Gulf 
on  the  south,  and  protected  from  the  winds  on  all  other 
sides  by  lofty  mountains,  it  enjoys  an  almost  Egyptian 
warmth  of  climate.  Here  it  was  already  summer,  while 
at  Sparta,  on  the  other  side  of  Taygetus,  spring  had  but 
just  arrived,  and  the  central  plain  of  Arcadia  was  still 
bleak  and  gray  as  in  winter.  As  it  was  market  day,  we 
met  hundreds  of  the  country  people  going  to  Kalamata 
with  laden  asses.  Nine-tenths  of  them,  at  least,  had 
Turkish  faces.  The  Greek  type  suddenly  ceases  on  leaving 
Maina,  and  I  did  not  find  it  again,  except  in  a  few  scatter- 


MESSENIA,    ELIS,    AND   ACHAIA.  187 

ing  instances,  during  the  remainder  of  our  travels  in  the 
Peloponnesus.  And  yet  some  travellers  declare  that  the 
bulk  of  the  population  of  Modern  Greece  belong  to  the 
ancient  stock  !  On  the  contrary,  I  should  consider  200,000, 
or  one-fifth  of  the  entire  number,  a  very  high  estimate. 

We  crossed  the  rapid  Pamisos  with  some  difficulty,  and 
ascended  its  right  bank,  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Evan,  which 
we  climbed,  by  rough  paths  through  thickets  of  mastic  and 
furze,  to  the  monastery  of  Vurkano.  The  building  has  a 
magnificent  situation,  on  a  terrace  between  Mounts  Evan 
and  Ithome,  overlooking  both  the  upper  and  lower  plains 
of  the  Pamisos — a  glorious  spread  of  landscape,  green  with 
spring,  and  touched  by  the  sun  with  the  airiest  prismatic 
tints  through  breaks  of  heavy  rain-clouds.  Inside  the 
court  is  an  old  Byzantine  chapel,  with  fleurs-de-lis  on  the 
decorations,  showing  that  it  dates  from  the  time  of  the 
Latin  princes.  The  monks  received  us  very  cordially,  gave 
us  a  clean,  spacious  room,  and  sent  us  a  bottle  of  excellent 
wine  for  dinner.  We  ascended  Ithome  and  visited  the 
massive  ruins  of  Messene  the  same  day.  The  great  gate 
of  the  city,  a  portion  of  the  wall,  and  four  of  the  towers 
of  defence,  are  in  tolerable  condition.  The  name  of 
Epaminondas  hallows  these  remains,  which  otherwise, 
grand  as  they  are,  do  not  impress  one  like  the  Cyclopean 
walls  of  Tiryns.  The  wonder  is,  that  they  could  have  been 
built  in  so  short  a  time — 85  days,  says  history,  which  would 
appear  incredible,  had  not  still  more  marvellous  things  of 
the  kind  been  done  in  Russia. 

The  next  day,  wre  rode  across  the  head  of  the  Messenian 
plain,  crossed  the  "  Mount  Lycasan  "  and  the  gorge  of  the 


188  TEAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

Neda,  and  lodged  at  the  little  village  of  Tragoge,  on  the 
frontiers  of  Arcadia.  Our  experience  of  Grecian  highways 
was  pleasantly  increased  by  finding  fields  plowed  directly 
across  our  road,  fences  of  dried  furze  built  over  it,  and 
ditches  cutting  it  at  all  angles.  Sometimes  all  trace  of  it 
would  be  lost  for  half  a  mile,  and  we  were  obliged  to  ride 
over  the  growing  crops  until  we  could  find  a  bit  of  fresh 
trail.  So  far  as  I  can  discover,  the  Government  neither 
makes  nor  guards  any  road  in  this  part  of  the  Morea. 
Two  or  three  times  a  year  a  new  track  must  be  made. 

The  bridle-path  over  Mount  Lycseus  was  steep  and  bad, 
but  led  us  through  the  heart  of  a  beautiful  region.  The 
broad  back  of  the  mountain  is  covered  with  a  grove  of 
superb  oaks,  centuries  old,  their  long  arms  muffled  in 
golden  moss,  and  adorned  with  a  plumage  of  ferns.  The 
turf  at  their  feet  was  studded  with  violets,  filling  the  air 
with  delicious  odors.  This  sylvan  retreat  was  the  birth 
place  of  Pan,  and  no  more  fitting  home  for  the  universal 
god  can  be  imagined.  On  the  northern  side  we  descended 
for  some  time  through  a  forest  of  immense  ilex  trees,  which 
sprang  from  a  floor  of  green  moss  and  covered  our  pathway 
with  summer  shade.  Near  here,  Fran9ois  was  once  stop 
ped  by  robbers,  to  whom  he  gave  some  wine  and  tobacco 
in  exchange  for  a  sheep,  and  persuaded  them  to  spare  the 
baggage  of  two  travellers  whom  he  was  conducting.  We 
were  now  in  the  heart  of  the  wild  mountain  region  of 
Messenia,  in  whose  fastnesses  Aristomenes,  the  epic  hero 
of  the  State,  maintained  himself  so  long  against  the 
Spartans.  The  tremendous  gorge  below  us  was  the  bed  of 
the  Neda,  which  we  crossed  in  order  to  enter  the  lateral 


ALESSENIA,    ELIS,    AND    ACHAIA.  189 

valley  of  Phigalia,  where  lay  Tragoge.  The  path  was  not 
only  difficult  but  dangerous — in  some  places  a  mere  hand's 
breadth  of  gravel,  on  the  edge  of  a  plane  so  steep  that  a 
single  slip  of  a  horse's  foot  would  have  sent  him  headlong 
to  the  bottom. 

We  intended  to  stop  with  the  priest,  from  whom  Frangois 
hoped  to  coax  some  of  his  sacramental  wine.  On  hailing 
a  peasant,  however,  on  approaching  the  village  we  learned 
that  the  good  man  had  been  dead  for  some  months. 
"  What  was  the  matter  with  him  ?  "  asked  F.  "  Nothing 
was  the  matter  with  him,"  answered  the  man,  "  he  died." 
We  thereupon  went  to  the  father  of  the  deceased,  who 
received  us  kindly,  and  gave  us  a  windy  room,  with  a 
number  of  old  silver-mounted  yataghans  and  muskets 
hanging  on  the  walls.  During  the  evening  a  neighbor 
came  in,  whose  brother  was  shot  as  a  bandit  a  few  years 
ago.  In  the  kitchen  there  was  a  segment  of  a  hollow 
sycamore  trunk,  used  as  a  grain  chest.  Thirty  or  forty  bee 
hives,  in  a  plot  of  ground  near  the  house,  were  in  like 
manner  composed  of  hollow  trees,  and  covered  with  broad 
flat  stones. 

In  the  morning,  a  terrible  scirocco  levante  was  blowing, 
with  an  almost  freezing  cold.  The  fury  of  the  wind  was 
so  great  that  in  crossing  the  exposed  ridges  it  was  difficult 
to  keep  one's  seat  upon  the  horse.  We  climbed  towards 
the  central  peak  of  the  Lycoean  Hills,  through  a  wild  dell 
between  two  ridges,  which  were  covered  to  the  snmmit 
with  magnificent  groves  of  oak.  Starry  blue  flowers, 
violets  and  pink  crocuses  spangled  the  banks  as  we  wound 
onward,  between  the  great  trunks.  The  temple  of  Apollo 


190  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

Epicurius  stands  on  a  little  platform  between  the  two 
highest  peaks,  about  3,500  feet  above  the  sea.  On 
the  morning  of  our  visit,  its  pillars  of  pale  bluish-gray 
limestone  rose  against  a  wintry  sky,  its  guardian  oaks  were 
leafless,  and  the  wind  whistled  over  its  heaps  of  ruin ;  yet 
its  symmetry  was  like  that  of  a  perfect  statue,  wherein  you 
do  not  notice  the  absence  of  color,  and  I  felt  that  no  sky 
and  no  season  could  make  it  more  beautiful.  For  its 
builder  was  Ictinus,  who  created  the  Parthenon.  It  was 
erected  by  the  Phigalians,  out  of  gratitude  to  Apollo  the 
Helper,  who  kept  from  their  city  a  plague  which  ravaged 
the  rest  of  the  Peloponnesus.  Owing  to  its  secluded 
position,  it  has  escaped  the  fate  of  other  temples,  and 
might  be  restored  from  its  own  undestroyed  materials. 
The  cella  has  been  thrown  down,  but  thirty-five  out  of 
thirty-eight  columns  are  still  standing.  Through  the  Doric 
shafts  you  look  upon  a  wide  panorama  of  gray  mountains, 
melting  into  purple  in  the  distance,  and  crowned  by  arcs  of 
the  far-off  sea.  On  one  hand  is  Ithome  and  the  Messenian 
Gulf,  on  the  other  the  Ionian  Sea  and  the  Strophades. 

We  rode  for  nearly  two  hours  along  the  crest  of  the 
mountain,  looking  down  into  the  deep-blue  valley  of  the 
Alpheus,  and  then  descended  to  Andritzena,  which  lies  in 
a  wild  ravine,  sloping  towards  the  river.  This  is  a  poor 
place,  with  less  than  a  thousand  inhabitants.  We  passed 
the  night  at  a  small  village,  two  hours  beyond,  and  the 
next  day  pushed  on  down  the  valley  to  Olympia.  As  the 
streams  were  swollen  with  melted  snows,  we  had  some  dif 
ficulty  in  finding  a  place  where  the  Alpheus  was  fordable. 
It  was  about  thirty  yards  wide,  with  a  very  swift  current, 


MESSENIA,    ELIS,    AXD    ACHAIA.  191 

and  the  agoyats  were  in  mortal  fear  during  the  transit, 
although  the  water  did  not  reach  above  our  saddle-girths. 
Having  safely  reached  the  northern  bank,  we  now  had  the 
Ladon  and  the  Erymanthus  to  cross,  both  of  which  were 
much  swollen.  Pericles  and  Aristides  crossed  themselves, 
after  these  streams  had  been  crossed,  and  really  had  the 
water  been  six  inches  deeper,  we  should  have  been  swept 
away.  There  is  no  bridge  over  the  Alpheus,  and  commu 
nication  is  frequently  cut  off  during  the  winter. 

We  now  trotted  down  the  valley,  over  beautiful  mea 
dows,  which  were  uncultivated  except  in  a  few  places  where 
the  peasants  were  plowing  for  maize,  and  had  destroyed 
every  trace  of  the  road.  The  hills  on  both  sides  began  to 
be  fringed  with  pine,  while  the  higher  ridges  on  our  right 
were  clothed  with  woods  of  oak.  I  was  surprised  at  the 
luxuriant  vegetation  of  this  region.  The  laurel  and  mastic 
became  trees,  the  pine  shot  to  a  height  of  one  hundred  feet, 
and  the  beech  and  sycamore  began  to  appear.  Some  of  the 
pines  had  been  cut  for  ship-timber,  but  in  the  rudest  and 
most  wasteful  way,  only  the  limbs  which  had  the  proper 
curve  being  chosen  for  ribs.  I  did  not  see  a  single  saw 
mill  in  the  Peloponnesus ;  but  I  am  told  that  there  are  a  few 
in  Eubcea  and  Acarnania.  As  we  approached  Olympia,  I 
could  almost  have  believed  myself  among  the  pine-hills  of 
Germany  or  America.  In  the  old  times  this  must  have 
been  a  lovely,  secluded  region,  well  befitting  the  honored 
repose  of  Xenophon,  who  wrote  his  works  here.  The  sky 
became  heavier  as  the  day  wore  on,  and  the  rain,  which 
had  spared  us  so  long,  finally  inclosed  us  in  its  misty  circle. 
Towards  evening  we  reached  a  lonely  little  house,  on  the 


192  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND    KUSSIA. 

banks  of  the  Alpheus.  Nobody  was  at  home,  but  we  suc 
ceeded  in  forcing  a  door  and  getting  shelter  for  our  bag 
gage.  Fran9ois  had  supper  nearly  ready  before  the  pro 
prietor  arrived.  The  latter  had  neither  wife  nor  child, 
though  a  few  chicks,  and  took  our  burglarious  occupation 
very  good-humoredly.  We  shared  the  same  leaky  roof 
with  our  horses,  and  the  abundant  fleas  with  the  owner's 
dogs. 

In  the  morning  the  clouds  broke  away,  and  broad  sun 
shine  streamed  down  on  the  Olympian  vale.  A  ride  of 
twenty  minutes  brought  us  to  the  remains  of  the  temple  of 
Jupiter — substructions  only,  which  have  been  discovered 
by  excavation,  as  they  are  entirely  beneath  the  level  of  the 
soil.  The  vast  fragments  enable  one  to  guess  at  the  size 
and  majesty  of  the  perfect  edifice.  The  drums  of  the  Doric 
columns,  only  two  or  three  of  which  remain  in  situ,  are 
nearly  eight  feet  in  diameter.  The  stone  employed  is  the 
same  hard,  coarse,  gray  limestone  as  that  of  the  temple  of 
Apollo  Epicurius.  The  soil  of  Olympia — a  deep  alluvial 
deposit — undoubtedly  contains  a  rich  fund  of  remains  of 
ancient  art ;  but  when  shah1  they  be  brought  to  light  ? 
Prince  Piickler-Muskau  proposed  to  the  Greek  Government 
to  make  excavations  at  his  own  expense,  and  to  place  what 
ever  he  found  in  a  museum  which  he  would  build  on  the 
spot,  but  his  generous  offer  was  refused,  out  of  a  mean  jea 
lousy  of  permitting  a  foreigner  to  do  that  which  the  Greeks 
themselves  will  not  do  for  a  hundred  years  to  come.  The 
latter  boast  of  their  descent  from  the  old  heroes,  but  (old 
Pittakys  excepted)  they  are  greater  Vandals  than  the  Turks 
towards  the  ancient  monuments  of  their  country.  Foreign 


MESSENIA,    ELIS,    AND    ACHAIA.  193 

influence  has  preserved  the  Acropolis  from  being  still  fur 
ther  despoiled;  foreign  scholars  have  discovered  the  lost 
landmarks  of  Greece ;  and  foreign  money  is  now  paying  for 
the  few  excavations  and  restorations  which  are  being  car 
ried  on.  Athenian  boys  hurl  stones  from  their  slings  at  the 
choragio  monument  of  Lysicrates  and  mutilate  its  exquisite 
frieze,  and  the  sportsmen  who  pass  Colonos  pepper  with 
shot  and  ball  the  marble  tombstone  over  Ottfried  Mailer's 
grave.  During  my  residence  in  Athens,  Sir  Thomas  Wyse 
prevented  the  builders  of  the  new  Cathedral  from  plunder 
ing  the  Theatre  of  Bacchus,  and  it  is  fear  of  the  opinion  of 
the  world,  rather  than  reverence  for  the  Past,  which  saves 
many  a  venerable  relic  from  the  like  fate. 

The  hills  surrounding  Olympia  are  low,  and  picturesquely 
wooded  with  pine.  The  scenery  has  a  pleasing  air  of  seclu 
sion  and  peace.  Broken  stones  and  bricks  mark  the  posi 
tion  of  the  city,  which  stood  on  a  shelf  of  the  valley  next 
the  hills,  out  of  the  reach  of  inundations  from  the  river. 
The  temple  stood  very  nearly  in  the  centre,  opposite  an  arm 
of  the  valley  which  enters  the  hills  to  the  north,  at  right 
angles  to  the  course  of  the  Alpheus.  Here  was  the 
stadium,  no  trace  of  which  now  remains.  At  one  end  is  a 
small  Roman  ruin  of  brickwork,  resembling  a  bath.  We 
here  found  a  wild  olive-tree,  from  which  we  robbed  enough 
of  leaves  to  make  a  victor's  crown.  The  vale  is  nearly 
deserted,  and  most  of  its  mellow  loam  is  lying  fallow.  And 
this  is  Olympia,  whence,  for  nearly  1,200  years,  the  chrono 
logy  of  the  ancient  world  was  computed — which  has  wit 
nessed  the  presence  of  a  greater  number  of  great  men  than 
any  other  spot  in  the  world ! 

9 


194  TllAVELS   IN    GKEECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

A  journey  of  two  days  across  the  wild  mountain  country 
of  Erymanthus  took  us  to  Kalavryta,  in  Achaia.  We  left 
the  valley  of  the  Alpheus  at  Olympia,  and  struck  into  a 
hilly  district,  covered  with  forests  of  splendid  pine.  A 
number  of  lumbermen  were  at  work,  wasting  more  than 
half  the  wood  for  the  want  of  saws.  After  a  gradual 
ascent  of  about  a  thousand  feet,  we  reached  a  summit 
ridge,  but  instead  of  finding  a  corresponding  descent  on 
the  other  side,  we  saw  a  broad  table-land  stretching  away 
to  the  foot  of  a  second  ridge  of  hills.  On  this  fine  plain 
was  the  little  village  of  Lala,  built  on  the  site  of  one 
destroyed  during  the  war.  The  place  was  very  rich,  but 
now,  although  about  one-tenth  of  the  number  of  the  former 
inhabitants  own  the  same  region,  they  are  miserably  poor. 
The  fields  for  miles  around,  once  bounteous  with  corn  and 
wine,  are  lying  waste  and  covered  only  with  a  thick  carpet 
of  ferns  and  asphodel.  Ascending  the  second  range  of 
hills,  we  came  upon  another  table-land,  covered  with  an 
immense  forest  of  oaks.  We  rode  for  more  than  two 
hours  through  this  forest,  which  extends  to  the  foot  of  the 
high  range  of  Erymanthus,  a  distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles, 
and  even  spreads  up  the  mountain  sides  as  far  as  the  region 
of  snow.  Most  of  the  trees  are  less  than  fifty  years  old, 
but  interspersed  among  them  are  noble  old  trunks  of  many 
centuries.  The  open  spaces  were  carpeted  with  soft,  green 
turf,  and  every  sunny  bank  gave  a  breath  of  violets  to  the 
air.  The  ground  was  covered  with  limbs  and  trunks, 
slowly  rotting  away.  I  saw  enough  of  waste  wood  during 
the  ride  to  supply  all  Athens  for  five  years,  but  there  it 
will  lie  and  rot,  so  long  as  there  are  no  roads  in  Greece. 


MESSENIA,    ELIS,    AND    ACHAIA.  195 

It  is  saddening  to  see  a  country  so  rich  in  natural  resources 
neglected  so  shamefully. 

Leaving  the  forest  at  last,  we  entered  the  deep,  abrupt 
gorge  of  the  Erymanthus,  and  spent  the  night  in  a  lonely 
khan  in  the  woods,  high  on  the  mountain  side.  It  was  a 
long  day's  journey  thence  to  Kalavryta,  over  the  back-bone 
of  Erymanthus.  This  is  the  main  line  of  communication 
between  the  Gulf  of  Corinth  and  the  south-western  portion 
of  the  Peloponnesus.  The  King  and  all  his  ministers  have 
travelled  it,  the  people  have  sent,  literally,  hundreds  of 
petitions  in  regard  to  it,  yet  not  a  solitary  drachma,  so  far  as 
I  could  learn,  has  ever  been  expended  on  it.  Near  the 
khan  there  is  a  wild  mountain  stream,  which  frequently 
cuts  off  communication  for  days.  A  good  bridge  over  it 
could  be  built  for  10,000  drachmas;  the  poor  people  of  the 
neighborhood  have  raised  among  themselves  nearly  half 
the  amount,  yet  all  their  clamor  and  entreaty  cannot  pro 
cure  the  remainder. 

Our  khanji  was  evidently  of  Turkish  bloo  d ;  the  Greek 
face  is  very  rare  in  these  parts.  We  had  an  exceedingly 
rough  ride  of  three  hours,  up  the  gorge  of  the  Eryman 
thus  to  Tripotamo.  The  mountains  rose  on  either  side  to 
a  height  of  300  feet  above  the  stream,  which  thundered 
down  a  precipitous  defile.  Tripotamo  is  a  khan,  lying,  as 
its  name  denotes,  at  the  junction  of  the  three  branches  of 
Erymanthus.  A  few  foundation  walls  still  remain  from  the 
ancient  city  of  Peophis,  which  stood  on  a  rocky  height, 
commanding  the  valley. 

We  now  followed  the  middle  branch  of  the  Erymanthus 
up  a  warm,  narrow  valley,  planted  with  tobacco  and  vines. 


196  TRAVELS    IN   GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

The  banks  were  purple  with  the  dark-lined  violet,  and  the 
air  balmy  as  the  breath  of  Paradise.  At  the  end  of  the 
valley  we  mounted  the  central  ridge  of  the  Erymanthean 
chain — a  sharp  comb,  which  appears  to  connect  the  group 
of  Panachaiacum  with  that  of  Cyllene.  From  the  summit 
we  had  a  glorious  view  backwards,  down  the  gorge  of  the 
Erymanthus,  between  the  blue  foldings  of  whose  mountains 
we  saw  the  level  line  of  the  wooded  table-land  overlooking 
the  Olympian  plain.  Before  us  stretched  a  similar  valley, 
closed  on  the  north  by  another  mountain  range,  while  the 
hoary  summit  of  Cyllene  sparkled  near  us  on  the  right, 
through  the  crystal  ether.  Of  the  four  monasteries  which 
we  passed,  between  Tripotamo  and  Kalavryta,  but  one  was 
inhabited.  The  others,  so  Fran9ois  said,  had  been  seques 
trated  by  the  Government. 

Kalavryta  is  situated  at  the  eastern  end  of  a  high  moun 
tain  basin,  which  discharges  its  waters  into  the  katabetJtra 
(canon)  where  lies  the  monastery  of  Megaspelion.  Over 
it  towers  the  snowy  head  of  Cyllene,  in  which  are  the  foun 
tains  of  the  Styx.  It  is  a  busy,  picturesque  little  place, 
with  better  houses  than  one  usually  finds  in  the  country 
towns.  There  was  no  khan,  but  the  Chief  of  Police  directed 
us  to  a  house  where  we  obtained  quarters.  As  it  had  a 
second  story,  chimney,  and  small  glass  windows,  we  con 
sidered  ourselves  luxuriously  lodged.  The  next  day  we 
went  no  further  than  Megaspelion,  two  hours  distant.  Our 
youngest  agoyat,  Pericles,  was  quite  ill,  from  the  effect  of 
Lent.  He  had  eaten  nothing  but  bread,  olives,  and  raw 
onions  during  the  whole  trip.  A  single  good  meal  would 
have  cured  him,  but  I  believe  he  would  sooner  have  died 


MESSEXIA,    ELIS,    AND    ACHAIA.  197 

than  have  eaten  meat  before  Easter.  Our  host  refused  to 
drink  wine,  because  he  had  once  brought  a  load  offish  from 
Lala  to  Kalavryta  in  one  day,  and  is  certain  he  would  never 
have  accomplished  it,  if  he  had  not  strictly  observed  his 
fasts  at  the  proper  time.  What  has  Christianity  become  ? 
Is  it,  as  practised  by  one-half  of  Christendom,  much  better 
than  the  ancient  Paganism? 

Entering  the  gorge  of  Mcgaspelion,  we  had  a  succession 
of  grand  mountain  pictures,  the  naked  rocks  rising  high 
overhead,  almost  to  the  very  clouds,  while  there  was  barely 
space  between  their  bases  for  the  Kalavryta  River.  We 
saw  the  monastery,  far  up  on  the  mountain  side,  stuck 
against  the  face  of  tremendous  cliffs  of  dark-red  rock.  A 
long  and  steep  ascent  leads  into  the  amphitheatric  hollow 
which  it  overlooks,  the  buildings  being  hidden  from  view 
by  a  projecting  spur  until  you  are  close  upon  them.  It  is 
certainly  one  of  the  wildest  and  most  singular  places  in  the 
world.  The  precipice,  which  is  nearly  five  hundred  feet 
perpendicular,  is  hollowed  out  at  the  bottom  into  three 
crescent-shaped  caverns,  penetrating  ninety  feet  into  the 
rock.  In  front  of  these,  a  massive  wall,  sixty  feet  high, 
has  been  built  up,  and  on  the  summit  of  the  wall,  and  the 
rocky  floor  of  the  topmost  cavern,  are  perched  the  chapels 
and  dormitories  of  the  monks — for  all  the  world  like  a  lot 
of  swallows'  nests,  of  all  forms,  colors,  and  dimensions.  The 
mountain  slope  below  the  monastery  is  terraced  and  de 
voted  to  gardens,  of  which  every  monk  has  a  separate  one, 
and  there  are  nearly  three  hundred  when  they  are 
all  at  home.  The  staircases  and  passages  in  the  interior 
of  this  hive  are  mostly  hewn  in  the  solid  rock,  and  so 


198  TRAVELS    IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

dark  and  labyrinthine  that  you  must  have  candles  and  a 
guide. 

The  monks — to  whose  piety  I  will  testify,  since  I  saw  how 
dirty  they  were — received  us  rather  coldly,  but  did  not 
refuse  us  a  room,  nor  prevent  Fran9ois  from  cooking  a  bit 
of  mutton.  They  hurried  us  off  to  the  church,  supposing 
that  we  must  be  impatient  to  behold  the  portrait  of  the 
Holy  Virgin,  sculptured  in  very  black  wood,  by  St.  Luke 
himself.  If  the  portrait  be  correct,  she  was  a  very  ordinary 
person.  I  prefer,  however,  to  throw  the  blame  on  St.  Luke, 
whose  pictures  are  quite  as  hideous  as  this  bas-relief.  The 
rooms  of  the  monks  were  in  harmony  with  their  persons. 
All  the  offal  of  the  monastery  is  thrown  out  of  the  windows, 
and  lies  in  heaps  at  the  foot  of  the  wall,  whence  its  effluvia 
rise  to  mingle  with  the  incense  in  the  chapels  above.  The 
most  spacious  part  of  the  building  was  the  wine-cellar, 
which  was  well  stored.  There  was  no  temptation  to  stay 
and  witness  the  Easter  festivities — indeed,  we  were  too 
anxious  to  reach  Athens.  Two  Englishmen,  however,  who 
had  arrived  before  us,  were  spending  every  night  in  the 
church  and  sleeping  in  the  day-time.  The  monotony  of  the 
nasal  chanting  is  something  terrible,  and  how  they  endured 
it  six  hours  a  night  was  beyond  my  comprehension. 

So  we  left  Megaspelion  on  megalo  sabaton  (Great  Satur 
day),  in  the  beginning  of  a  rain.  Our  path  climbed  the 
mountain  behind  the  monastery,  and  followed  the  crest  of 
a  long  ridge  running  towards  the  Gulf  of  Corinth.  Clouds 
were  above  and  below  us,  and  a  wild,  black  abyss  of  storm 
hid  both  Cyllene  and  the  gulf.  These  mountains  were 
thickly  clothed  with  firs,  the  first  we  had  seen  in  Greece. 


MESSENIA,    ELIS,    AND    ACHAIA.  199 

The  most  of  them  were  young,  but  here  and  there  rose  a 
few  fine,  tall  trunks,  which  both  War  and  Peace  had  spared. 
The  appearance  of  this  region  showed  conclusively  how 
easy  it  would  be  to  restore  the  lost  forests  of  Greece — and 
through  them  the  lost  streams.  After  four  or  five  hours 
up  and  down  paths  so  difficult  that  they  would  have  been 
very  dangerous  with  horses  unaccustomed  to  such  travel, 
we  reached  the  hamlet  of  Akrata  on  the  coast,  wet,  sore, 
and  hungry. 

A  crowd  of  village  idlers  collected  about  the  little  shop 
where  Ave  stopped  to  breakfast,  and  thronged  in  to  see  us 
eat  and  to  ask  questions.  They  had  sharp,  eager,  intelli 
gent  faces,  but  all  with  a  greater  or  less  mixture  of  the 
Slavonic  element.  Among  them  was  a  handsome  boy  of 
sixteen,  who,  having  studied  at  the  gymnasium  of  Patras, 
was  put  forward  as  spokesman.  We  were  the  first  Ameri 
cans  they  had  seen,  and  they  were  curious  to  learn  some 
thing  about  America.  I  pointed  out  one  of  the  boys 
present  as  having  a  genuine  American  face,  whereupon  the 
smart  youngster  remarked,  "That  is  almost  like  an  insult 
— it  is  as  much  as  to  say  that  he  don't  look  like  a  Greek." 
"  You  should,  on  the  contrary,  take  it  as  a  compliment  to 
your  country,"  I  answered  ;  "  the  people  of  a  free  country 
have  a  different  expression  from  those  who  live  under  a 
despotism,  and  if  he  resembles  an  American,  he  resembles 
a  free  man."  He  was  a  little  abashed  ;  and  one  of  the  men 
asked  :  "  But  if  it  is  a  free  country,  what  despot  (tyrannos) 
rules  you  ?"  I  thereupon,  with  the  help  of  Fra^ois,  gave 
them  a  brief  description  of  our  Government  and  country, 
to  which  they  listened  with  the  greatest  attention,  asking 


200  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AXD    RUSSIA. 

questions  which  showed  a  clear  comprehension  of  my 
explanations.  I  am  sure  that  a  group  of  German  or  French 
peasants  would  not  have  understood  the  subject  half  as 
readily. 

By  this  time  the  rain  had  not  only  ceased,  but  the  clouds 
parted,  allowing  splendid  gaps  of  sunshine  to  stream  down 
on  the  dark-green  gulf,  and  light  up  the  snowy  top  of 
Parnassus,  nearly  opposite.  Before  sunset  we  reached  the 
village  of  Stomi,  where  we  spent  the  night  very  comfort 
ably  in  a  two-story  house.  The  next  day  was  Easter  Sun 
day,  which  we  had  promised  to  spend  with  our  friend,  the 
Demarch  of  Hexamilia.  The  storm  had  delayed  us  con 
siderably,  but  we  still  hoped,  by  starting  early,  to  arrive  in 
season  for  the  Paschal  lamb.  The  way,  however,  was 
longer  than  we  had  counted  upon.  Following  the  shore 
of  the  gulf,  we  witnessed  the  Easter  festivities  in  twenty 
villages,  saluted  by  everybody  with  the  glad  tidings  : 
"  Christos  aneste"  (Christ  is  arisen,) — to  which  we  gave 
the  customary  reply  :  "  Alethos  aneste"  (Truly  he  is  arisen.) 
All  were  dressed  in  their  gayest  garments,  and  the  satisfac 
tion  which  a  hearty  meal  of  meat — the  first  in  fifty  days — 
spread  over  their  countenances,  was  most  refreshing  to 
behold.  There  was  a  continual  discharge  of  musketry 
from  the  young  paiikars  ;  and,  in  the  afternoon,  the  women 
danced  slowly  on  the  shore,  in  long  semicircular  companies, 
to  the  sound  of  their  own  screechy  voices.  The  short 
mantles  which  they  wore,  over  their  white  petticoats,  were 
of  the  gayest  colors,  bordered  with  an  ornamental  pattern 
of  truly  antique  and  classical  form.  One  of  them  was  an 
exact  copy  of  that  worn  by  Ristori,  as  Medea. 


MESSKNIA,    ELIS,    AND    AC1IAIA.  201 

Sending  our  baggage  direct  to  Hexamilia,  and  intrusting 
Pericles  with  a  message  to  the  Demarch,  that  a  Paschal 
lamb  should  be  bought  and  roasted  for  us,  we  left  the  shore, 
and  mounted  to  the  rocky  platform  whereon  stood  Sikyon, 
the  forerunner  and  rival  of  Corinth.  We  spent  a  quiet 
hour  in  the  grass-grown  theatre,  looking  on  the  sapphire 
gulf,  and  the  immortal  peaks  of  song  beyond  it.  It  was 
nearly  sunset  when  we  reached  Corinth,  but  I  determined 
to  improve  the  occasion  by  climbing  to  the  acropolis,  which 
we  had  been  unable  to  do  on  our  former  visit,  on  account 
of  the  rain.  From  the  huge  rock,  nearly  two  thousand 
feet  in  height,  you  have  a  panorama  extending  from  Sunium, 
the  eastern  headland  of  Attica,  on  one  side,  to  the  moun 
tains  of  Etolia,  on  the  other. 

It  was  after  dark  when  our  weary  horses  halted  at  the 
Demarch's  door,  in  Hexamilia.  The  lamb  was  on  a  spit, 
truly  enough,  and  Pericles  and  Aristides  were  turning  him 
with  expectant  eyes.  The  Demarch  opened  an  amphora  of 
red,  resinous  wine  (which,  having  once  learned  to  drink, 
we  preferred  to  all  other),  and  late  at  night,  by  the  light 
of  lanterns,  we  sat  down  to  our  Easter  feast.  The  house 
was  still  shaken  by  the  throes  of  the  lingering  earthquake, 
but  none  of  us  heeded  them.  The  Demarch,  whose  red 
face  and  starting  eyes  already  told  of  repletion,  tore  a  rib 
from  the  lamb  with  the  remark :  "  I  have  already  eaten 
three  times  to-day,  but  on  Easter  one  can  hold  a  double 
portion."  It  is  a  fact  that  there  are  more  cases  of  illness 
after  this  festival,  than  at  any  time  in  the  year.  We  were 
all  ravenously  hungry,  and  the  Demarch  was  finally  left 
behind  in  the  race.  Pericles  and  Aristides  devoured  an 


202  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

entire  quarter,  besides  an  immense  omelette,  with  silent 
rapture. 

Returning  by  way  of  Megara  and  Eleusis,  in  two  days 
more,  we  hailed  again  the  beloved  Acropolis  from  the  brow 
of  Daphne. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

BYEON    IN    GREECE. 

No  poet  of  modern  times — not  even  Scott  among  the  lochs 
of  the  Highlands — has  left  so  lasting  an  impress  of  his  own 
mind  on  the  scenes  he  saw  and  sang  of,  as  Byron.  Whe 
ther  on  the  Rhine,  in  Switzerland,  Yenice,  Rome,  Albania, 
Greece,  Stamboul,  or  Gibraltar,  the  first  lines  that  bubble 
up  from  the  bottom  of  Memory's  pool,  as  some  feature  or 
expression  of  the  landscape  agitates  it,  are  sure  to  be  his. 
Epithets  struck  off  like  the  lucky  dash  of  an  artist's  pencil, 
cling  so  tenaciously  to  the  scenes  themselves,  that  moun 
tain,  cape,  cataract,  and  temple  hurl  them  back  to  you. 
"  The  Acroceraunean  mountains  of  old  name,"  "  Leucadia's 
far-projecting  rock  of  woe,"  Soracte  heaving  from  the  plain 
"like  a  long-swept  wave  about  to  break,"  Lake  Nemi 
"  navelled  in  the  woody  hills,"  the  "  exulting  and  abound 
ing  "  Rhine — are  all  illustrations  of  this.  It  is  not,  as  some 
body  observes,  that  Byron  expresses  the  average  sentiment 
of  cultivated  travellers,  but  rather  from  the  intrinsic  excel 
lence  and  aptness  of  his  descriptive  epithets,  that  he  is  so 


204  TRAVELS    IN    GKEECE    AND    11USSIA. 

constantly  quoted.  Nothing  can  be  finer  than  the  images 
— rarely  more  than  a  line  in  length — with  which  Childe 
Harold  is  crowded.  The  disciples  of  Wordsworth  have 
attempted  to  depreciate  Byron  as  a  poet,  as  Pollok  and 
other  Pharisees  have  blackened  his  character  as  a  man — but 
no  one  can  visit  Greece  without  recognising  how  wonder 
fully  the  forms  and  colors  of  her  scenery,  the  solemn  sadness 
of  her  ruin,  are  reproduced  in  his  pages. 

It  is  a  severe  test  of  a  description  to  read  it  on  the  actual 
spot.  The  twilight  medium  of  words  pales  in  the  broad 
blaze  of  Nature ;  and  as  mountain,  city,  and  river  flush  into 
living  color  before  your  eye,  the  life-blood  seems  to  be 
drained  from  the  page  in  your  hand.  Only  when  you  be 
come  familiarized  with  a  landscape,  can  you  venture  to 
open  a  book  in  its  presence.  Classical  travellers,  it  is  true, 
carry  their  Homers  with  them  to  read  on  the  mound  of 
Troy — or  their  Sophocles,  for  the  Gate  of  Mycense ;  but 
this  is  a  bit  of  agreeable  sentiment  which  we  must  pardon. 
In  Chamounix,  before  sunrise,  you  would  scarcely  think  of 
reading  Coleridge's  "Hymn;"  Schiller's  "Diver"  would 
sound  but  tamely  in  the  Calabrian  Strait ;  and  I  should  like 
to  see  the  man  who  could  repeat  any  of  the  many  feeble 
addresses  to  Niagara,  on  Table  Rock ! 

"Why  is  it,  then,  that  so  many  of  Byron's  descriptions, 
when  you  have  once  read  them,  are  given  back  to  you 
again  by  Nature  herself?  Because  he  wrote  in  the  pre 
sence  of  Nature :  impression  and  expression  were  simulta 
neous;  and  his  pictures,  like  the  open-air  studies  of  a 
painter,  however  deficient  in  breadth,  depth,  or  atmosphere, 
have  the  unmistakable  stamp  of  truth.  Scarcely  any  other 


^    LN    GllEECE.  205 


poet  painted  so  directly  from  the  model.  His  thunder 
storm  on  Lake  Leman,  written,  as  one  might  say,  by  the 
flashes  of  lightning,  reminds  us  of  Turner  lashed  to  the 
foremast  of  a  steamer,  in  order  to  study  a  snow-squall  at 
sea.  The  first  and  second  books  of  Childe  Harold  were 
written  almost  entirely  in  the  open  air.  In  wandering 
about  Athens,  on  a  sunny  March  day,  when  the  asphodels 
are  blossoming  on  Colonos,  when  the  immortal  mountains 
are  folded  in  a  transparent  purple  haze,  and  the  waveless 
^Egean  slumbers  afar,  among  his  islands,  I  never  failed  to 
hear  a  voice  steal  upon  the  charmed  silence—  a  young, 
manly  voice,  ringing  with  inspiration,  yet  subdued  by  the 
landscape  to  a  harmony  with  its  own  exquisite  rhythmus, 
chanting  : 

"  Yet  are  thy  skies  as  blue,  thy  crags  as  wild, 

Sweet  are  thy  groves,  and  verdant  are  thy  fields, 
Thine  olive  ripe  as  when  Minerva  smiled, 

And  still  his  honeyed  wealth  Hymettus  yields  ; 

There  the  blithe  bee  his  fragrant  fortress  builds, 
The  free-born  wanderer  of  thy  mountain  air  ; 

Apollo  still  thy  long,  long  summer  gilds, 
Still  in  his  beam  Meudeli's*  marbles  glare  : 
Art,  Glory,  Freedom  fail,  but  Nature  still  is  fair." 

Here  the  simple  thought  is  neither  new  nor  profound  : 
but  when  the  blue  sky  of  Greece  is  over  your  head  ;  when 
the  thick  olive  groves  shimmer  silverly  before  you  down 
the  valley  of  the  Cephissus  ;  when  the  bee  rises  from  his 
bed  in  the  bells  of  the  asphodel,  and  the  flavor  of  the  thymy 

*  Pentelicus. 


206  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

honey  of  Hymettus  is  still  on  your  palate ;  when  the  marble 
quarries  of  Pentelicus  gleam  like  scars  on  the  blue  pediment 
of  the  mountain — then  these  lines  sing  themselves  into  your 
brain  as  the  natural  voice  of  the  landscape. 

Although  fifty  years  have  elapsed  since  Byron  first  visited 
Greece,  his  connexion  with  the  later  struggle  for  indepen 
dence  has  kept  alive  some  memories  even  of  that  earlier 
period.  No  foreign  name  is  so  well  known  to  the  Greeks 
as  that  of  Veerdn  (as  they  pronounce  it)  ;  his  portrait 
always  has  a  prominent  place  in  the  Pantheon  of  the  Libe 
rators,  Mrs.  Black,  to  whom  he  sang  "  Zoe  mou,  sas 
agapo,"  still  lives  at  the  Piraeus,  and  has  transmitted  her 
charms  to  a  lovely  Greco-Scottish  daughter ;  and  Mavro- 
cordato,  his  friend  and  ally,  though  blind  and  octogenary, 
was  living  at  the  time  of  my  visit.  I  knew  the  physician 
who  attended  him  at  Missolonghi — the  same  in  wThose  arms 
Ottfried  Miiller  breathed  his  last.  Mr.  Finlay,  the  historian 
of  Mediaeval  Greece,  knew  him  both  at  Cephalonia  and  at 
Missolonghi,  and  related  to  me  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  contracted  his  fatal  illness.  Some  of  the  particu 
lars  were  new  to  me ;  and  as  Mr.  Finlay  informed  me  that 
portions  of  his  statement  had  already  been  published,  I  feel 
no  hesitation  in  repeating  them  here. 

It  is  well  known  that  after  Byron  reached  Missolonghi, 
he  was  greatly  annoyed  and  perplexed  by  the  turbulent 
horde  of  half-robbers  among  whom  he  was  thrown — a  set 
of  jealous,  clamorous,  undisciplined  rogues,  who  were  less 
zealous  in  the  cause  of  Grecian  freedom  than  in  their  endea 
vors  to  get  a  share  of  the  poet's  money.  Ambitious  to 
achieve  some  military  distinction,  and  at  the  same  time 


BYKON    IN    GREECE.  20 7 

accomplish  something  for  Greece,  he  enrolled  a  company 
of  Suliotes  under  his  own  immediate  command,  and  com 
menced  a  strict  course  of  discipline.  [Byron's  helmet, 
with  his  crest,  and  the  motto  "  Crede  Biron,"  is  now  in 
the  possession  of  Dr.  S.  G.  Howe,  of  Boston,  who  received 
it  from  Count  Gamba.  It  is  so  small  that  few  men  could 
be  found  whose  heads  could  be  put  into  it.]  He  was  very 
punctual  in  his  attendance  at  the  drill,  and  disregarded  a 
proper  protection  from  the  weather,  fearing  that  an  appear 
ance  of  effeminacy  would  weaken  his  influence  over  his  men. 
Mr.  Finlay,  then  a  young  and  ardent  Philhellene,  was 
sent  with  dispatches  from  Athens  to  Missolonghi,  about  the 
close  of  March,  1824.  After  remaining  a  few  days  he  pre 
pared  to  return;  but  heavy  rains  had  swollen  the  river 
Achelous,  and  he  was  obliged  to  delay  his  departure.  His 
plan  was,  to  cross  the  Gulf  of  Corinth  in  a  small  boat,  so 
as  to  avoid  the  risk  of  being  captured  by  the  Turks  at 
Lepanto,  and  then  push  on  eastward,  through  the  denies  of 
the  Achaian  Mountains.  One  morning,  at  last,  the  weather 
seemed  better,  and  he  set  out.  Riding  eastward  over  the 
plain,  towards  the  Achelous,  he  met  Byron  on  horseback. 
The  latter  turned  and  rode  along  with  him  for  two  or  three 
miles,  conversing  on  the  prospects  of  the  cause.  Finally, 
Byron  said :  "  You'd  better  turn  back  ;  the  river  is  still  too 
high."  "  I  think  not,"  said  Mr.  Finlay  ;  "  but,  at  least,  I'll 
try  it."  "  You'll  be  wet  to  the  skin,  at  any  rate,"  urged 
Byron,  pointing  to  a  heavy  black  cloud,  which  was  rapidly 
approaching.  "  You  will  be  wet,  not  I,"  Mr.  Finlay  an 
swered,  whereupon  Byron  saying:  "I'll  see  to  that,'' 
turned  his  horse  and  galloped  back  towards  the  town. 


208  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

In  a  few  minutes,  however,  the  cloud  broke,  and  the  rain 
fell  in  torrents.  Byron's  house  was  at  the  western  end  of 
Missolonghi,  so  that,  in  order  to  avoid  the  breakneck 
streets,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  crossing  the  harbor  in  a 
boat,  and  mounting  his  horse  outside  the  eastern  wall.  On 
this  occasion,  he  reached  the  boat  in  a  dripping  state,  and, 
being  obliged  to  sit  still  during  the  passage,  received  a 
violent  chill,  which  was  followed  by  an  attack  of  fever. 
Mr.  Finlay,  finding  the  river  still  too  high,  returned  to  Mis 
solonghi,  where  he  was  obliged  to  wait  two  days  longer. 
Byron  then  lay  upon  the  bed  from  which  he  never  arose. 
"  One  evening,"  related  Mr.  F.,  "  he  said  to  Col.  Stanhope 
and  the  rest  of  us  :  '  Well,  I  expected  something  to  happen 
this  year.  It's  all  owing  to  the  old  witch.'  We  asked  for 
an  explanation.  4  When  I  was  a  boy,'  said  he,  '  an  old 
woman,  who  told  my  fortune,  predicted  that  four  particular 
years  would  be  dangerous  to  me.  Three  times  her  predic 
tion  has  come  true ;  and  now  this  is  the  fourth  year  she 
named.  So  you  see,  it  won't  do  to  laugh  at  the  witches.' 
He  said  this  in  a  gay,  jesting  voice,  and  seemed  to  have  no 
idea  that  his  illness  would  prove  fatal.  Indeed,  none  of  us 
considered  him  in  a  dangerous  condition  at  that  time." 

During  his  first  visit  to  Greece,  Byron  resided  for  several 
months  at  Athens,  and  every  fair  or  inspiring  feature  of  the 
illustrious  region  was  familiar  to  him.  Two  points  seem  to 
have  especially  attracted  him — the  ancient  fortress  of 
Phyle,  in  the  defile  of  Parnes,  through  which  passed  one 
of  the  roads  into  Bceotla,  and  the  sunset  view  from  the  Pro- 
pylsea,  or  pillared  entrance  at  the  western  end  of  the  Acro 
polis.  The  latter  is  frequently  called  "  Byron's  View,"  by 


BYEON   IN   GREECE.  209 

the  English,  and  no  poet's  name  was  ever  associated  with 
a  lovelier  landscape.  Seated  on  a  block  of  marble  op 
posite  the  main  entrance,  which  steeply  climbs  the  slope, 
you  look  down  between  the  rows  of  fluted  Doric  columns, 
to  the  Hill  of  the  Nymphs,  rising  opposite,  across  the  val 
ley  of  the  Cephissus,  twinkling  with  olives  and  vines,  over 
the  barren  ridge  of  Corydallus,  the  mountains  of  Salamis 
and  Megara,  and  away  to  the  phantom  hills  of  the  Pelopon 
nesus,  whose  bases  are  cut  by  the  azure  arc  of  the  Saronic 
Gulf.  Here  was  written  the  often  quoted  description  of  a 
Grecian  sunset,  commencing : 

"  Slow  sinks,  more  lovely  ere  his  race  be  run, 
Along  Morea's  hills  the  setting  sun — " 

and  every  feature  of  the  picture  is  correct.  In  the  south, 
you  see  Egina,  crowned  by  the  Panhellenic  temple  of  Jupi 
ter,  Hydra,  and  Poros ;  while  the  "  Delphian  cliff "  on  the 
west,  behind  which  the  still  triumphant  god  sinks  to  rest, 
though  hidden  from  sight  by  a  spur  of  Parnes,  is  neverthe 
less  visible  from  the  sides  of  Hymettus. 

To  me,  this  view  had  an  indescribable  charm.  Apart 
from  the  magic  of  its  immortal  associations,  it  is  drawn  and 
colored  with  that  exquisite  artistic  feeling,  which  seems  to 
be  a  characteristic  of  Nature  in  Greece,  and  therefore  takes 
away  from  the  almost  despairing  wonder  with  which  we 
should  otherwise  contemplate  her  perfect  temples.  We 
the  more  easily  comprehend  why  Proportion  should  have 
been  an  inborn  faculty  of  the  Grecian  mind — why  the  laws 
of  Form,  with  all  their  elusive  secrets,  should  have  been  so 
thoroughly  mastered.  The  studied  irregularity  of  the 


210  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

Parthenon,  the  result  of  which  is  absolute  symmetry,  was 
never  attained  by  mathematical  calculation.  It  sprang 
from  the  inspired  sagacity  of  a  brain  so  exquisitely  educated 
to  Order,  that  it  could  give  birth  to  no  imperfect  concep 
tion.  Ictinus  caught  the  magic  secret  (which  all  Apostles 
of  the  Good  Time  Coining  would  do  well  to  learn),  that 
Nature  abhors  exact  mathematical  arrangement — that  true 
Order  and  Harmony  lie  in  a  departure  from  it.  By  violat 
ing  the  apparent  law,  the  genuine  law  was  found. 

A  few  days  before  leaving  Athens,  I  rode  out  to  Phyle, 
which  is  about  eighteen  miles  distant.  The  weather  was 
intensely  hot,  thermometer  ninety-one  degrees  in  the  shade, 
and  a  strong  sirocco  wind,  blowing  directly  from  Africa, 
wrapped  the  mountains  in  a  fiery  blue  film.  A  rapid  trot 
of  two  hours  brought  us  to  an  Albanian  village  at  the  foot 
of  Parnes,  where  we  halted  for  breakfast,  and  to  rest  our 
exhausted  horses.  The  inhabitants  have  the  reputation  of 
being  robbers,  and  probably  deserve  it.  They  seemed  to 
have  no  regular  occupation,  and  the  number  of  well-armed, 
lusty,  yellow-moustached,  and  long-nosed  fellows  lounging 
about,  was,  in  itself,  a  suspicious  circumstance.  They  were, 
however,  very  courteous  to  us,  and  I  have  no  doubt  we 
might  have  lived  for  weeks  among  them  with  entire  se 
curity. 

At  the  little  inn,  where  we  ate  our  cold  chicken  and 
caviar,  moistened  with  resinous  wrine,  several  of  the  villa 
gers  were  collected,  in  lively  conversation  with  a  keen, 
quick-eyed  fellow  from  a  distant  village,  whose  witty 
remarks  and  retorts  diverted  them  exceedingly.  One 
wild,  young  scamp  jumped  up  at  intervals,  and  executed 


BYKON    IN   GREECE.  211 

steps  of  the  palikar  dance,  or  romdika,  and  another,  lolling 
lazily  in  a  corner,  sang  fragments  of  a  song  he  had  learned 
in  Crete : 

"All  on  a  Sunday  morning, 

On  Easter  and  New- Year's  day, 
The  bells  of  Holy  Constantine 
They  ring  so  loud  and  gay." 

The  tide  of  fun  ran  high ;  and  I  regretted  that  my  im 
perfect  knowledge  of  the  language  did  not  allow  me  to 
enjoy  it  with  them.  Finally,  however,  one  of  the  villagers 
called  out  to  the  jolly  stranger  :  "  Nicola,  tell  us  that  story 
of  your  second  marriage.  Giorgios  here,  and  Costandi, 
and  Kyrie  Fran9ois  have  never  heard  it."  "  Oh,  yes !" 
shouted  the  others ;  "  that  was  a  capital  trick  of  Nicola's. 
You  must  all  hear  it."  Nicola  thereupon  began  the  story 
— his  quick  blue  eyes  dancing  in  wicked  delight  under  his 
shaggy  brows  at  the  very  thought  of  the  trick. 

"  You  must  know,"  said  he,  "  that  my  first  wife  died 
about  a  year  and  a  half  ago.  Well,  she  had  not  been  dead 
long,  before  I  found  out  that  I  must  fill  her  place  Avith 
somebody  else.  It's  poor  business  living  without  a  wife, 
especially  when  you've  been  used  to  having  one.  But  I 
was  as  poor  as  the  Holy  Lazarus,  and  how  to  get  a  hand 
some  girl,  with  a  good  dower,  was  more  than  I  knew.  At 
last  I  remembered  Athanasi,  the  fat  innkeeper  in  Kuluri, 
where  I  had  spent  a  night  a  year  or  two  before.  He  had  a 
daughter,  handsome  and  nimble  enough ;  and  five  hundred 
drachmas,  they  said,  would  go  with  her.  I  must  be  Atha- 
nasi's  son-in-law,  I  said  to  myself.  Now,  I  am  no  fool; 


212  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

and  presently  I  hit  upon  the  right  plan.  I  washed  my 
fustanellas,  put  on  my  best  clothes,  and  started  on  my 
horse  (it's  not  a  bad  animal,  you  know)  for  Kuluri.  But 
first,  I  took  my  big  saddle-bags,  and  filled  them  with  bro 
ken  horse-shoes  and  other  such  bits  of  iron.  Then  I  threw 
in  all  the  money  I  had — about  ten  or  twelve  silver  dollars 
— locked  the  bags,  and  hung  them  over  my  saddle.  As  I 
jogged  along  the  road,  with  the  metal  jingling  under  me, 
I  said  to  myself  '  Ho !  Papa  Athanasi,  get  the  bride  ready ; 
your  son  is  a-coming ! ' 

"  When  I  drew  near  Kuluri,  I  put  my  horse  into  a  trot, 
so  that  everybody  heard  the  jingle  as  I  rode.  I  went 
straight  to  Athanasi's,  hung  my  saddle-bags  up  in  a  place 
where  I  could  always  keep  my  eye  on  them,  and  ordered 
dinner.  '  The  best  that  can  be  had,'  said  I,  '  it  will  be  paid 
for  !'  The  dinner  was  fit  for  a  bishop,  I  must  say,  and  no 
lack  of  wine.  When  I  was  satisfied,  I  asked  Athanasi, 
4  Who  cooked  for  me  ?'  t  Oh,'  says  he,  '  it  was  my  daugh 
ter,  Heraclea.'  '  Let  her  come,  then,'  says  I :  '  I  must  tell 
her  how  good  it  was.'  Then  I  unlocked  my  saddle-bags 
before  their  eyes,  gave  a  dollar  to  Athanasi,  and  another 
to  his  daughter.  I  jingled  the  bags  well  as  I  carried 
them  out — and  heavy  enough  they  were — and  then  rode 
away. 

"The  next  week,  I  came  back  and  did  the  same  thing, 
but  when  Heraclea  had  gone  to  the  kitchen,  I  said  to 
Athanasi:  'Your  daughter  pleases  me;  I  should  like  to 
marry  her,  and  even  if  her  dowry  is  not  so  high  as  I  have 
a  right  to  ask,  I  will  take  her.'  He  looked  at  me,  then  at 
my  saddle-bags,  brought  another  bottle  of  wine ;  and  so 


BYRON   IN   GREECE.  213 

the  thing  was  settled.  It  wasn't  a  month  before  Papa 
Anagnosto  blessed  us  as  man  and  wife ;  and  I  felt  easy  and 
comfortable  again.  Her  dower  was — well,  I  won't  say  how 
much ;  but  I  might  have  done  worse. 

"  When  my  wife  went  home  with  me,  I  hung  the  saddle 
bags  over  my  bed,  and  cautioned  her  against  allowing  any 
one  to  come  near  them.  She  did  everything  as  I  wanted 
it,  and  was  quiet  and  steady  enough  for  a  week  or  two. 
But  a  woman,  you  know,  is  never  satisfied.  I  knew  it 
would  come  and  come  it  did.  '  What  is  the  use  of  all  that 
money  hanging  there,'  she  thought,  '  when  I  might  have 
the  heaviest  gold  ear-rings  in  the  village  ?'  '  Nicola,  my 
life,'  said  she  [here  the  speaker  imitated  a  woman's  voice, 
in  the  most  irresistibly  droll  way],  '  I  should  like  to  get  a 
new  pair  of  ear-rings  for  the  Easter  dances.'  '  Very  well,' 
says  I,  4  here's  my  key.  Go  to  the  saddle-bags  and  take  as 
much  money  as  you  want.'  She  hopped  into  the  bed-room 
like  a  cat,  while  I  went  on  cleaning  my  gun,  as  cool  as  could 
be.  In  a  minute,  she  was  out  again,  looking  scared  and 
pale.  '  Money !'  she  screamed ;  '  that's  not  money — it's  bits 
of  iron !'  '  Why,  you're  a  fool :'  said  I,  trying  to  look  as 
wild  as  I  could.  When  I  went  in  with  her,  and  looked 
into  the  saddle-bags,  I  threw  my  gun  on  the  floor,  stamped, 
howled,  and  cursed  like  a  thousand  dragons  ;  while  Hera- 
clea,  sitting  on  the  bed,  could  only  say :  '  Holy  Spiridion  ! 
what  has  happened  ?'  '  Why,'  I  yelled,  '  that  cursed  Alex- 
andros,  that  wizard,  that  devil — whom  I  offended  last  week 
— he  has  gone  and  turned  all  my  bright  silver  dollars  into 
iron !'  Then,  when  she  found  I  was  so  furious,  she  tried 
to  quiet  and  console  me.  So  I  got  out  of  the  difficulty 


214  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

then ;  but  I  guess  she  begins  to  suspect  how  it  really  was. 
However,  she  likes  me  well  enough,  and  I  am  now  the 
father  of  a  little  Athanasi ;  so  it  don't  much  matter." 

Nicola's  story— to  the  truth  of  which  some  of  the  villa 
gers  testified — gave  great  amusement  to  his  auditors.  We 
shook  hands  with  the  jolly  band  of  miscreants,  and  rode 
up  the  hot,  narrow  gorge  for  an  hour  or  more,  until  the 
road  approached  the  summit  ridge  of  Parnes,  where,  upon 
a  narrow,  precipitous  cape,  stood  the  ancient  fortress  of 
Phyle.  The  blocks  of  tawny  marble  of  which  it  is  com 
posed  are  entire  to  the  height  of  ten  to  twenty  feet,  and 
picturesquely  overgrown  with  glossy  draperies  of  ivy. 
Sitting  on  the  parapet,  the  savage  defile,  dark  with  pine- 
trees,  yawns  below  you ;  while,  between  its  scarped  walls 
of  orange-colored  rock,  you  look  out  over  the  warm  plain 
of  Attica,  as  far  as  Hymettus  and  the  sea.  In  the  central 
distance  rises  the  Acropolis,  distinct  with  all  its  tem 
ples.  Here,  as  in  the  Propylaea,  you  have  a  foreground 
and  a  frame  for  the  picture ;  and  the  wonderful  coloring 
of  the  landscape,  thus  confined  to  an  extent  which  the 
eye  can  take  in  at  a  single  glance,  assumes  a  purity  and 
depth  which  is  always  wanting  in  a  wide  panoramic 
view. 

On  the  Propylaea,  perfect  Art  inframes  the  harmonious 
landscape;  at  Phyle,  it  is  savage  Nature.  Different  in 
features,  the  views  nevertheless  make  a  similar  impression. 
Nothing  could  better  illustrate  the  integrity  of  Byron's 
appreciation  of  Nature  than  his  selection  of  these  two 
points.  And,  while  sitting  among  the  lizard-haunted  ruins, 
gazing  through  the  hot  film  of  the  sirocco  upon  Athens, 


BYRON    IN    GREECE.  215 

and  reflecting  upon  her  flimsy  Court  and  degenerate  people, 
I  could  not  but  admit  that  he  might  still  say : 

"  Spirit  of  Freedom  I  when  on  Phyle's  brow 

Thou  sat'st  with  Thrasybulus  and  his  train, 
Couldst  thou  forebode  the  dismal  hour  which  now 
Dims  the  green  beauties  of  thine  Attic  plain  ?" 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE      HAUNTS      OF     THE      MUSES. 

WE  left  Athens  on  the  13th  of  April,  for  a  journey  to 
Parnassus  and  the  northern  frontier  of  Greece.  The  com 
pany  consisted  of  Franyois,  Braisted,  myself,  and  Ajax  and 
Themistocles,  our  agoyats,  or  grooms.  It  was  a  teeming, 
dazzling  day,  with  light  scarfs  of  cloud-crape  in  the  sky,  and 
a  delicious  breeze  from  the  west  blowing  through  the  pass 
of  Daphne.  The  Gulf  of  Salamis  was  pure  ultramarine, 
covered  with  a  velvety  bloom,  while  the  island  and  Mount 
Kerata  swam  in  transparent  pink  and  violet  tints.  Greece, 
on  such  a  day,  is  living  Greece  again.  The  soul  of  ancient 
Art  and  Poetry  throbs  in  the  splendid  air,  and  pours  its 
divinest  light  upon  the  landscape. 

Crossing  the  sacred  plain  of  Eleusis  for  the  fourth  time  in 
my  Grecian  journeys,  our  road  entered  the  mountains — 
lower  offshoots  of  Cithseron,  which  divide  the  plain  from 
that  of  Boeotia.  They  are  now  covered  with  young  pines, 
to  the  very  summits,  and  Fra^ois  directed  my  attention 
to  the  rapidity  with  which  the  mountains  were  becoming 


THE    HAUNTS    OF    THE    MUSES.  217 

wooded,  since  the  destruction  of  young  trees  has  been  pro 
hibited  by  law.  The  agricultural  prosperity  of  the  country, 
in  many  districts,  depends  entirely  on  the  restoration  of  the 
lost  forests.  The  sun  was  intensely  hot  in  the  close  glens, 
and  we  found  the  shade  of  the  old  Cithseronian  pines  very 
grateful.  We  met  a  straggling  company  of  lancers  return 
ing  from  the  Thessalian  frontier,  and  many  travellers  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon.  Among  the  baggage  animals  fol 
lowing  the  lancers  we  were  surprised  to  find  Pegasus  and 
Bellerophon,  the  lean  horses  which  had  carried  us  through 
the  Peloponnesus ;  and  soon  after,  Aristides  himself  resplen 
dent  in  clean  Easter  garments.  He  was  greatly  disap 
pointed  at  seeing  us  under  way,  as  he  had  intended  to  carry 
us  to  the  Mounts  of  Song  011  his  own  winged  steeds. 

Towards  evening,  we  descended  into  the  valley  of  the 
Eleusinian  Cephissus,  at  the  foot  of  Cithseron,  passing  the 
remains  of  an  ancient  tower,  twenty  feet  high.  At  sunset, 
wrhen  the  sky  had  become  overcast  and  stormy,  we  reached 
the  solitary  khan  of  Casa,  at  the  foot  of  a  rocky,  precipi 
tous  hill,  crowned  by  the  acropolis  of  GEnoe,  and  were 
heartliy  glad  to  find  shelter  in  the  windy  building,  from  the 
more  violent  wind  outside.  The  keepers  of  the  khan  were 
two  women — old  friends  of  Fra^ois — who  received  us 
with  great  cordiality.  There  was  a  military  barrack  a  few 
paces  off,  containing  a  corporal's  guard,  who  were  sup 
posed  to  keep  down  brigandage.  The  setting  sun  built  a 
magnificent  rainbow  upon  the  bas-es  of  heavy  clouds,  which 
moved  away  upon  Athens  with  thunder  and  lightning. 
Our  lodging  was  in  a  loft,  among  heaps  of  grain  and  piles 
of  dried  herbs ;  but  F.'s  convenient  camp-beds,  as  we  knew 

10 


218  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AXD    RUSSIA. 

from  experience,  were  as  comfortable  in  a  stable  as  any 
where  else  ;  and  his  famous  potage  aux  voyageurs  would 
have  made  a  hungry  Lucullus  shriek  with  satisfaction. 
Benevolence  prompts  me  to  communicate  the  receipt  for 
this  soup,  which  anybody  can  make,  with  a  little  practice. 
Boil  two  fowls  for  the  broth :  add  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
vermicelli,  and,  when  nearly  done,  the  yolks  of  four  eggs, 
beaten  up  with  a  gill  of  water.  Then  squeeze  into  the  mix 
ture  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon  :  and,  lo  !  it  is  done.  If  any 
lady  can  make  a  better  soup,  with  fewer  materials,  I  should 
be  glad  to  possess  her  autograph. 

We  awoke  to  a  cloudless  sky ;  and,  after  coffee,  climbed 
the  hill  of  OEnoe,  or  Eleutheria,  whichever  it  may  be.  I 
suppose  Leake  is  most  likely  to  be  right ;  and  so  I  shall  call 
it  (Enoe.  A  hard  pull  of  fifteen  minutes  brought  us  to  the 
lower  part  of  the  wall,  which  is  composed  of  immense 
blocks  of  gray  conglomerate  limestone — the  native  rock  of 
the  hill.  The  walls  are  eight  feet  thick,  and  strengthened 
by  projecting  square  towers.  On  both  the  northern  and 
southern  sides,  the  natural  precipices  assist  the  plan  of 
defence.  Following  the  northern  wall  up  the  hill  to  the 
northwestern  angle,  we  were  surprised  to  see  before  us  a 
range  of  tall  square  towers,  which,  with  the  connecting  cur 
tains,  appear  to  be  in  nearly  a  perfect  state.  Of  the  nine 
towers  Avhich  defended  this  side  of  the  city,  six  are  still 
from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  in  height.  We  walked 
along  the  top  of  the  wall,  and  passed  through  them  all  in 
succession.  There  are  loop-holes  in  the  sides,  for  arrows  or 
javelins ;  and  I  noticed  mortices  in  the  stones,  for  the  joists 
which  supported  the  upper  floors.  On  the  southern  side 


THE   HAUNTS    OF    THE    MUSES.  219 

the  wall  overhangs  the  deep  gorge,  through  which  flows 
the  main  branch  of  the  Cephissus.  There  were  two  mas 
sive  postern  gateways  to  the  town.  The  Avails  are  better 
preserved,  without  exception,  than  any  which  I  saw  in 
Greece.  They  date  from  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Great. 
The  position  of  the  place,  among  the  wild  peaks  of  Citha?ron, 
makes  it  one  of  the  most  picturesque  ruins  in  the  country. 

We  now  climbed  the  main  ridge  of  the  mountains  ;  and, 
in  less  than  an  hour,  reached  the  highest  point — whence  the 
great  Boeotian  plain  suddenly  opened  upon  our  view.  In 
the  distance  gleamed  Lake  Copais,  and  the  hills  beyond  ;  in 
the  west,  the  snowy  top  of  Parnassus,  lifted  clear  and 
bright  above  the  morning  vapors;  and,  at  last,  as  we 
turned  a  shoulder  of  the  mountain  in  descending,  the 
streaky  top  of  Helicon  appeared  on  the  left,  completing  the 
classic  features  of  the  landscape.  We  descended  to  the 
katyvia,  or  summer  village  of  Villa,  whose  inhabitants  cul 
tivate  part  of  the  plain  during  the  winter.  The  want  of 
water  obliges  them  to  retire  to  another  village"  in  the 
mountains  during  the  summer;  so  that  their  lives  are 
passed  in  a  regular  alternation  between  the  two  places — 
each  village  being  deserted  half  the  year.  This  is  a  very 
common  mode  of  life  among  the  Greek  peasants.  As  we 
entered  the  plain,  taking  a  rough  path  towards  Plata?a,  the 
fields  were  dotted,  far  and  near,  with  the  white  Easter 
shirts  of  the  people  working  among  the  vines. 

Another  hour,  and  our  horses'  hoofs  were  upon  the 
sacred  soil  of  Plataea.  The  walls  of  the  city  are  still  to  be 
traced  for  nearly  their  entire  extent.  They  are  precisely 
similar  in  construction  to  those  of  CEnoe — like  which,  also, 


220  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

they  were  strengthened  by  square  towers.  There  are  the 
substructions  of  various  edifices — some  of  which  may  have 
been  temples — and  on  the  side  next  the  modern  village  lie 
four  large  sarcophagi,  now  used  as  vats  for  treading  out 
the  grapes  in  vintage-time.  A  more  harmless  blood  than 
once  curdled  on  the  stones  of  PlataBa  now  stains  the  empty 
sepulchres  of  the  heroes. 

"  It  was  a  bright  immortal  head 

They  crowned  with  clustering  vine  ; 
And  o'er  their  best  and  bravest  dead, 
They  poured  the  dark-red  wine." 

We  rode  up  to  the  miserable  little  village,  took  our  seats 
in  the  church-door,  and  ate  our  breakfast  there,  gazing  on 
the  hollow  plain  below  the  ruins,  which  witnessed,  proba 
bly,  the  brunt  of  the  battle.  In  the  intense  glare  of  the 
sunshine  no  illusion  was  possible.  The  beggarly  huts 
about  us ;  the  uncouth  piles  of  stones,  lying  here  and  there 
among  the  springing  grass ;  the  bare,  deserted  hills  beyond 
— what  was  there  to  remind  one  of  ancient  valor  and  glory 
in  all  these  ?  The  landscape  was  like  a  worn-out  garment, 
which  the  golden  mist  of  sunset,  or  the  magic  of  moonshine, 
may  touch  with  deceptive  color ;  but,  seen  at  noon-day, 
with  every  rent  and  patch  obtruded  to  your  gaze,  it  is  sim 
ply — rags. 

Nevertheless,  we  rode  over  the  plain,  fixed  the  features 
of  the  scene  in  our  memories,  and  then  kept  on  towards  the 
field  of  Leuktra,  where  the  brutal  power  of  Sparta  received 
its  first  check.  The  two  fields  are  so  near,  that  a  part  of 
the  fighting  may  have  been  done  upon  the  same  ground. 


THE    HAUNTS    OF   THE    MUSES.  221 

The  landmarks  of  Leuktra  are  so  uncertain,  however,  that 
I  trusted  entirely  to  Francois,  who  had  conducted  travel 
lers  thither  for  thirty  years,  and  plucked  some  field-flowers 
on  the  spot  he  pointed  out.  I  then  turned  my  horse's  head 
towards  Thebes,  which  we  reached  in  two  hours. 

It  was  a  pleasant  scene,  though  so  different  from  that  of 
two  thousand  years  ago.  The  town  is  built  partly  on  the 
hill  of  the  Cadmeion,  and  partly  on  the  plain  below.  An 
aqueduct,  on  mossy  arches,  supplies  it  with  water,  and 
keeps  its  gardens  green.  The  plain  to  the  north  is  itself 
one  broad  garden  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  of  the  Sphinx,  be 
yond  which  is  the  blue  gleam  of  a  lake,  then  a  chain  of 
barren  hills,  and  over  all  the  snowy  cone  of  Mount  Delphi, 
in  Eubcea.  The  only  remains  of  the  ancient  city  are  stones ; 
for  the  massive  square  tower,  now  used  as  a  prison,  cannot 
be  ascribed  to  an  earlier  date  than  the  reign  of  the  Latin 
princes.  A  recent  excavation  has  disclosed  the  foundations 
of  a  mediaeval  building,  constructed  of  ancient  stones.  Can 
it  be  the  palace  of  that  Theban  merchant  who  bought  the 
Duchy  of  Naxos  and  made  himself  the  equal  of  kings — the 
architectural  wonder  of  Greece  during  the  Middle  Ages  ? 
The  site  of  the  town  is  superb.  Both  Helicon  and  Parnas 
sus  tower  in  the  south  and  west,  and  even  a  corner  of  Pen- 
telicus  is  visible.  While  I  sat  beside  the  old  tower,  sketch 
ing  the  Mountain  of  the  Sphinx,  a  Theban  eagle— the  spirit 
of  Pindar — soared  slowly  through  the  blue  depths  above. 
The  memories  of  Pindar  and  Epaminondas  consecrate  the 
soil  of  Thebes,  though  she  helped  to  ruin  Greece  by  her 
selfish  jealousy  of  Athens.  It  is  not  an  accidental  circum 
stance  that  she  has  so  utterly  disappeared,  while  the  Pro- 


222  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

pylsea  of  the  Athenian  Acropolis,  which  Epaminondas 
threatened  to  carry  off,  still  stand — and  may  they  stand  for 
ever ! 

A  scholar  from  the  French  Academy  at  Athens  joined  us 
in  the  evening.  He  was  out  hunting  inscriptions.  The 
French  scholars  are  always  hunting  inscriptions,  and  it  is 
wonderful  what  a  lot  of  archaeological  eggs  (addled)  they 
discover.  This  time  he  had  certainly  heard  of  a  nest,  and 
was  on  his  way  at  full  gallop,  to  secure  the  prize.  The 
next  night  he  rejoined  us  at  Livadia,  wet  to  the  skin,  with 
out  an  alpha  or  a  beta  about  him,  and  rather  disposed  to 
find  the  secret  of  the  Pindaric  measure  in  the  red  Boeotian 
wine,  than  to  grope  any  longer  in  empty  cellars. 

The  next  morning  we  rode  down  from  the  Cadmeion,  and 
took  the  highway  to  Livadia,  leading  straight  across  the 
Boeotian  plain.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  alluvial  bottoms  in 
the  world,  a  deep,  dark,  vegetable  mould — which  would 
produce  almost  without  limit,  were  it  properly  cultivated. 
Before  us,  blue  and  dark  under  a  weight  of  clouds,  lay 
Parnassus ;  and  far  across  the  immense  plain  the  blue  peaks 
of  Mount  GEta.  In  three  hours  we  reached  the  foot  of 
Helicon,  and  looked  up  at  the  streaks  of  snow  which  melt 
into  the  Fountain  of  the  Muses.  Presently  a  stream,  as 
limpid  as  air,  issued  from  the  cleft  heart  of  the  mountain. 
"  0  fons  Bandusice,  splendidlor  vitro  /"  I  exclaimed ;  but 
it  was  a  diviner  than  the  Bandusian  wave  which  gurgled  its 
liquid  dactyls  over  the  marble  pebbles.  Ajax  and  Themis- 
tocles  had  halted  in  the  shade  of  a  garden  on  the  bank ; 
Fran9ois  was  unpacking  his  saddle-bags ;  so  I  leapt  from 
Erato,  my  mare,  knelt  among  the  asphodels,  and  drank. 


THE   HAUNTS    OF   THE   MUSES.  223 

The  water  had  that  sweetness  and  purity  which  makes  you 
seem  to  inhale,  rather  than  drink  it.  The  palate  swam  in 
the  delicious  flood  with  a  delight  which  acknowledged  no 
satiety.  "  What  is  this  ?"  I  said,  as  I  lifted  up  my  head ; 
"  Can  it  be  the  Muses'  Fountain  coming  down  from  yonder 
mountain?  Whence  this  longing  unsuppressed  in  my 
breast — this  desire  that  is  springing  to  be  singing  ?  My 
veins  are  on  fire — give  me  a  lyre !  I'll  beat  Apollo  all 
hollow  1" 

"Pshaw !"  said  Francois  (who  had  just  taken  a  draught). 
"  He  now  can  drink  who  chooses,  at  the  Fountain  of 
the  Muses.  Why,  you  know,  the  gods  and  goddesses, 
and  the  nymphs  in  scanty  bodices,  are  now  no  more  de 
tected  in  the  shrines  to  them  erected.  That  was  only  a 
superstition  unworthy  a  man  of  your  position.  To  such 
illusions  you're  no  dupe :  this  water's  very  good  for 
soup  1" 

"Sound  the  hew-gag,  beat  the  tonjon!"  exclaimed 
Braisted,  who  had  not  been  thirsty :  "  I  believe  you  are 
both  crazy."  But  the  mare,  Erato,  who  had  taken  long 
draughts  from  the  stream,  whinnied,  whisked  her  tail,  and 
galloped  off  one  line  of  hexameter  after  another,  as  we  con 
tinued  our  journey.  So  I  devoutly  testify  that  Helicon 
is  not  yet  dry,  and  the  Fountain  of  the  Muses  retains 
its  ancient  virtue. 

In  the  afternoon  we  turned  the  spur  of  a  mountain — a 
sort  of  outpost  between  Helicon  and  Parnassus — and  saw 
before  us  Livadia,  on  the  northern  slope  of  a  high  hill.  A 
ruined  Turkish  fortress,  with  two  round  towers,  gave  the 
place  a  wild,  picturesque  air,  while  the  green  gardens  arid 


224  TEAVELS    IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

mulberry  orchards  below,  relieved  the  sterility  of  the  gray 
cliff&  which  towered  above  it.  Clear,  bright,  mountain 
water  gushed  in  full  streams  down  the  glen,  and  wandered 
away  into  the  rich  plain,  fructifying  the  pregnant  soil 
wherever  it  went.  We  reached  a  large,  dreary  khan,  as 
the  rain  began  to  fall ;  and,  having  established  ourselves 
there  for  the  night,  set  out  to  visit  the  cave  of  the  oracle 
of  Trophonius.  It  lies  at  the  upper  end  of  the  town,  in  a 
ravine  which  is  buried  almost  below  the  sunshine  by  precipi 
tous  rocks  that  tower  more  than  a  thousand  feet  above. 
The  grand,  savage  aspect  of  the  spot  might  well  have 
given  rise  to  the  ancient  superstition  that  he  who  once 
entered  the  cave  never  smiled  again.  Notwithstanding  its 
reputation,  I  took  refuge  in  one  of  the  hollow  chambers 
from  the  torrents  of  rain  which  drove  down  the  awful 
gorge. 

A  ride  of  three  hours  the  next  day  brought  us  to  Chero- 
ncea,  the  battle-field  where  the  Boeotians  made  their  last 
desperate  stand  against  Philip  of  Macedon.  The  ruins  of 
the  city  have  disappeared,  with  the  exception  of  the  thea 
tre,  the  seats  of  which  are  hewn  in  the  solid  rock,  and  some 
fragments  of  marble  and  breccia ;  but  the  monument  to  the 
Boeotians  who  fell  in  the  battle  is  one  of  the  most  interest 
ing  in  Greece.  The  colossal  lion,  placed  in  the  sepulchral 
mound,  had  gradually  become  imbedded  in  the  earth,  and 
thus  preserved,  when  it  was  discovered  and  blown  to  pieces 
with  gunpowder  by  the  guerilla  chieftain,  Odysseus,  during 
the  war.  of  independence.  The  head  remains  entire,  with 
the  eyes  upturned  in  the  agony  of  death,  and  the  teeth  set 
in  the  last  howl  of  mingled  rage  and  despair.  I  have  never 


THE    HAUNTS    OF    THE    MUSES.  225 

seen  a  more  grand  and  touching  memorial.  The  mutilated 
face  embodies  the  death-cry  of  Greece.  It  expresses  a 
despair  so  awful,  yet  so  heroic,  that  a  man  need  not  blush 
if  he  should  find  sudden  tears  starting  into  his  eyes  as  he 
gazes  upon  it. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PARNASSUS  AND  THE  DORIAN  MOUNTAINS. 

THE  khan  at  Cheronaea  was  a  mere  hovel,  where  the  only 
place  for  our  beds  was  in  the  stable  among  the  horses. 
Our  hoofed  friends  were  tolerably  quiet,  however,  and 
nothing  disturbed  our  slumber  except  the  crowing  of  the 
cocks.  But  the  landlord  of  this  hotel  demanded  no  less 
than  three  dollars  for  our  lodgings  ;  and  thereupon  ensued 
one  of  those  terribly  wordy  battles  in  which  Frai^ois  was 
a  veteran  combatant.  Epithets  struck  and  clashed  against 
one  another  like  swords  ;  the  host  was  pierced  through  and 
through  with  furious  lunges,  and  even  our  valiant  dragoman 
did  not  escape  some  severe  wounds.  Then  some  peasants, 
whose  horses  had  been  stalled  for  the  night  in  our  bed-room, 
demanded  to  be  paid  for  the  feed  of  the  animals,  because, 
they  said,  we  had  fed  ours  in  the  stable,  which  obliged 
them  to  feed  theirs,  unnecessarily.  The  Greeks  believe, 
that  if  one  horse  sees  another  eat,  without  eating  himself, 
he  will  fall  sick,  and  perhaps  die.  Until  I  discovered  this 
fact,  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  when  we  reached  a  khan, 


PARNASSUS  AND  THE  DOEIAN  MOUNTAINS.      227 

all  the  horses  were  removed  from  the  stable  until  after 
ours  had  been  fed,  when  they  were  brought  back  again. 

In  the  morning,  tremendous  black  clouds  were  hanging 
over  Parnassus;  and  deep-blue  gloom,  alternating  with 
streaks  of  fierce  sunshine,  checkered  the  broad,  level  valley 
of  the  Cephissus — the  highway  through  which  the  Persians 
and  the  Macedonians  marched  upon  Greece.  As  we  skirted 
the  plain,  riding  towards  the  south-eastern  corner  of  Par 
nassus,  Fran9ois  pointed  out  a  village,  hanging  on  the  dark, 
rocky  slope.  "  That  is  Daulia !  "  said  he.  The  ancient 
Daulis,  the  birth-place  of  the  nightingale !  The  thickets 
by  every  stream  resounded  with  the  exquisite  songs  of  the 
bird  of  passion  and  of  sorrow. 

"  Dost  thou  once  more  essay 
Thy  flight ;  and  feel  come  over  thee, 
Poor  fugitive,  the  feathery  change 
Once  more ;  and  once  more  make  resound, 
"With  love  and  hate,  triumph  and  agony, 
Lone  Daulis  and  the  high  Cephissian  vale  ?  " 

We  now  entered  a  deep  defile,  leading  along  the  southern 
base  of  Parnassus  to  Delphi.  The  country  was  stony  and 
barren,  overgrown  only  with  broom  and  furze,  and 
reminded  me  of  some  of  the  wilder  parts  of  Scotland. 
This  is  the  home  of  brigands,  and  they  still  abound  in  these 
rocky  fastnesses.  A  shepherd-boy,  tending  his  flock  of 
black  goats,  called  out  to  us :  "  The  robbers  have  come 
down — have  you  met  any  of  them  ?  "  He  informed  us 
that,  five  days  before,  they  had  carried  off  a  rich  Greek, 
whom  they  were  keeping  in  a  cavern  somewhere  in  the 


228  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

rocks  overhanging  the  defile.  They  demanded  thirty 
thousand  dollars  for  his  ransom,  and  would  not  give  him 
up  until  the  money  was  paid. 

Passing  the  spot  where  (Edipus  killed  his  father,  and  the 
wild  gorge  of  Schiste,  we  reached,  about  eleven  o'clock, 
the  khan  of  Ismenos,  tolerably  high  up  on  the  side  of 
Parnassus,  whose  snowy  peak  cleft  the  sky,  wrapt  in  a 
misty  veil  of  drifting  snow.  The  wind  was  frightful.  It 
blew  with  tremendous  force  and  icy  coldness,  stiffening  our 
limbs  and  freezing  the  very  blood  in  our  veins.  A  snow 
storm  raged  around  the  topmost  summit  of  Parnassus, 
which  shone  now  and  then  with  a  blinding  white  gleam,  as 
the  clouds  parted.  While  we  were  breakfasting,  a  com 
pany  of  shepherds  arrived.  Instead  of  Arcadian  crooks 
they  carried  muskets  and  daggers,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
looked  after  something  else  besides  their  sheep.  They 
were  fierce,  splendid  fellows,  with  a  strong  dash  of  the 
ancient  Hellenic  blood  in  their  veins.  Two  of  them  had 
come  to  appeal  to  the  keeper  of  the  khan  as  an  arbitrator, 
one  accusing  the  other  of  having  stolen  two  sheep,  while 
the  latter  claimed  compensation  for  the  damage  done  to  his 
grain  by  eight  sheep  belonging  to  the  former.  It  was  a 
double  case,  not  easily  to  be  decided,  and  the  mild  little 
umpire  quite  lost  his  wits  in  the  storm  that  raged  around 
him.  Fists  were  clenched,  furious  words  flung  back  and 
forth,  daggers  drawn,  and  every  moment  I  expected  to 
see  blood  flow.  It  was  a  wild,  exciting  scene,  in  singular 
keeping  with  the  hurricane  outside,  which  made  the  house 
rock  to  its  foundations. 

As  we  continued  our  journey  along  the  southern  side  of 


PARNASSUS    AND    THE    DORIAN    MOUNTAINS.  229 

Parnassus,  high  over  the  gorge  between  it  and  a  cluster  of 
barren  peaks,  forming  a  cape  between  the  bays  of  Salona 
and  Aspropitia,  I  was  several  times  almost  unhorsed  by  the 
violence  of  the  wind.  One  of  the  first  poems  I  read,  as  a 
child,  was  Mrs.  Hemans'  "  Storm  at  Delphi,"  commen 
cing  : 

"  Far  through  the  Delphian  shades 
A  Persian  trumpet  rang ;  " 

— and,  though  forgotten  for  years,  it  returned  to  my 
memory  as  we  faced  the  gusts  which  seemed  still  to  protect 
the  shrine  of  the  god.  In  two  hours,  however,  we  reached 
the  village  of  Arachova,  which  is  situated  most  pictu 
resquely  on  the  steep  mountain  side,  in  the  midst  of  a  vast 
amphitheatric  sweep  of  terraced  vineyards.  The  place  was 
almost  entirely  deserted,  the  inhabitants  being  in  the  fields 
or  upon  the  mountain  with  their  flocks.  The  few  whom 
we  saw,  however,  verified  the  correctness  of  the  statement 
that  on  Parnassus,  as  on  the  sides  of  Taygetus,  may  still  be 
found  traces  of  the  ancient  blood  of  Greece.  Here  still 
live  the  forms  of  Phidias— the  rude  plebeian  type  of  that 
ennobled  and  perfected  beauty  which  furnished  him  with 
the  models  of  heroes,  demi-gods,  and  deities.  Yon  bare 
footed  girl,  filling  her  pitcher  at  the  fountain,  would  have 
been  a  Yenus  of  Milo,  in  a  higher  social  sphere ;  the  shep 
herd,  asleep  on  a  sheltered  bank  under  the  rocks,  is  already 
a  Faun  of  Praxiteles,  and  might  be  a  Theseus  or  a  Perseus ; 
and  these  children  need  but  the  loveliness  of  nudity  to 
become  Cupids,  Ganymedes,  and  Psyches.  The  clear-cut 
symmetry  of  the  features,  the  low  brow,  short  upper  lip, 


230  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

and  rounded  chin,  the  beautiful  balance  of  the  limbs,  and 
that  perfect  modelling  of  the  trunk,  which  neither  conceals 
nor  exhibits  too  much  the  development  of  the  muscles,  are 
all  here — so  far  as  the  body  can  be  seen  through  its  dis 
guise.  The  true  Greeks  differ  from  the  Albanians  and 
the  mongrel  Turco-Slavic-Venetian  race,  which  constitute 
the  bulk  of  the  population,  in  everything — in  character, 
form,  features,  and  movement — and  I  cannot  understand 
why  it  is  that  enthusiastic  travellers  persist  in  seeing  in 
every  one  who  bears  the  name  of  Greek  a  descendant  of 
Pericles,  or  Leonidas,  or  Homer. 

As  we  left  Arachova,  proceeding  towards  Delphi,  the 
deep  gorge  opened,  disclosing  a  blue  glimpse  of  the  Gulf 
of  Corinth  and  the  Achaian  mountains.  Tremendous  cliffs 
of  blue-gray  limestone  towered  upon  our  right,  high  over 
the  slope  of  Delphi,  which  ere  long  appeared  before  us. 
Our  approach  to  the  sacred  spot  was  marked  by  tombs  cut 
in  the  rock.  A  sharp  angle  of  the  mountain  was  passed ;  and 
then,  all  at  once,  the  enormous  walls,  buttressing  the  upper 
region  of  Parnassus,  stood  sublimely  against  the  sky,  cleft 
right  through  the  middle  by  a  terrible  split,  dividing  the 
twin  peaks  which  give  a  name  to  the  place.  At  the  bottom 
of  this  chasm  issue  forth  the  waters  of  Castaly,  and  fill  a 
stone  trough  by  the  road-side.  On  a  long,  sloping  moun 
tain-terrace  beyond,  facing  the  east,  stood  once  the  town 
and  temples  of  Delphi,  and  now  the  modern  village  of 
Kastri. 

Fran9ois  conducted  us  up  the  hill  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
Triandaphylli  (Rose),  a  good-humored  old  fellow,  who, 
with  his  wife,  received  us  in  the  most  cordial  manner. 


PARNASSUS    AND   THE   DOKIAN   MOUNTAINS.  231 

They  occupied  a  second  story,  with  two  rooms,  one  of 
which  had  a  broad  chimney-place,  where  they  were  cooking 
dinner.  The  shelter  and  the  fire  were  most  welcome  to  us, 
and  so  were  the  bowls  of  red,  resinous  wine,  which  Dame 
Rose,  with  the  air  of  a  Pythoness,  presented  to  us.  An 
old  soldier,  who  has  nominal  charge  of  the  antiquities — an 
easy  way  of  pensioning  him  upon  travellers — had  scented 
us  from  afar,  and  now  offered  his  services  as  guide.  We 
were  at  first  disinclined  to  move ;  but  the  warmth  and  the 
Delphian  wine  soon  restored  all  the  enthusiasm  which  the 
Parnassian  winds  had  blown  out  of  us,  and  we  sallied  forth. 

As  you  may  imagine,  our  first  walk  was  to  the  shrine  of 
the  Delphic  oracle,  at  the  bottom  of  the  cleft  between  the 
two  peaks.  The  hewn  face  of  the  rock,  with  a  niche,  sup 
posed  to  be  that  where  the  Pythia  sat  upon  her  tripod,  arid 
a  secret  passage  under  the  floor  of  the  sanctuary,  are  all 
that  remain.  The  Castalian  fountain  still  gushes  out  at  the 
bottom,  into  a  large  square  inclosure,  called  the  Pythia's 
Bath,  and  now  choked  up  with  mud,  weeds,  and  stones. 
Among  those  weeds,  I  discerned  one  of  familiar  aspect, 
plucked  and  tasted  it.  Water-cress,  of  remarkable  size  and 
flavor !  We  thought  no  more  of  Apollo  and  his  shrine, 
but  delving  wrist-deep  into  Castalian  mud,  gathered  huge 
handfuls  of  the  profane  herb,  which  we  washed  in  the 
sacred  fount,  and  sent  to  Fran9ois  for  a  salad. 

We  then  descended  to  a  little  monastery,  on  the  opposite 
slope  of  the  glen.  In  the  court-yard,  at  the  door  of  a  small, 
fantastic  church,  leaned  three  or  four  ancient  bas-reliefs. 
One  was  the  torso  of  a  man,  life  size,  and  very  well  model 
led:  a  smaller  one,  full  of  spirit,  represented  four  horses 


232  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    A!NTb    RUSSIA. 

attached  to  a  chariot.  The  monastery  stands  on  an  ancient 
terrace,  of  fine  square  blocks,  which  the  soldier  said  had 
once  supported  a  school,  or  gymnasium — who  knows  ?  All 
through  and  around  Kastri  are  portions  of  similar  terraces, 
some  of  very  early  masonry.  Of  the  temple  of  Apollo 
there  only  remain  blocks,  marble  drums,  and  the  inscrip 
tion  which  cost  poor  Ottfried  Mtiller  his  life. 

As  the  sun  sank,  I  sat  on  the  marble  blocks  and  sketched 
the  immortal  landscape.  High  above  me,  on  the  left,  soared 
the  enormous  twin  peaks  of  pale-blue  rock,  lying  half  in 
the  shadow  of  the  mountain  slope  upheaved  beneath,  half 
bathed  in  the  deep  yellow  lustre  of  sunset.  Before  me 
rolled  wave  after  wave  of  the  Parnassian  chain,  divided  by 
deep  lateral  valleys,  while  Helicon,  in  the  distance,  gloomed 
like  a  thunder-storm  under  the  weight  of  gathered  clouds. 
Across  this  wild,  vast  view,  the  breaking  clouds  threw 
broad  belts  of  cold  blue  shadow,  alternating  with  zones  of 
angry  orange  light,  in  which  the  mountains  seemed  to  be 
heated  to  a  transparent  glow.  The  furious  wind  hissed  and 
howled  over  the  pifes  of  ruin,  and  a  few  returning  shep 
herds  were  the  only  persons  to  be  seen.  And  this  spot,  for 
a  thousand  years,  was  the  shrine  where  spake  the  awful 
oracle  of  Greece  \  And  yet — what  was  it  ?  A  hideous  nest 
of  priestcraft — of  jugglery,  delusion,  and  fraud.  Only  the 
ideal  halo  thrown  over  it  by  the  Mount  and  the  Fountain 
of  Song,  has  given  to  the  name  of  Delphi  such  wonderful 
music.  The  soil  where  Plato's  olives  grew  is  more  truly 
hallowed.  When  you  stand  before  the  naked  shrine,  you 
think  less  of  the  cloudy  sentences  uttered  there,  the  words 
of  fate  for  Greece,  than  of  the  secret  passage  laid  bare 


PARNASSUS    AND   THE   DORIAN   MOUNTAINS.  233 

below  the  Pythia's  niche — the  trickery  under  the  inspira 
tion.  But  as  it  then  was,  so  it  is  now ;  so  will  it  always  be. 
Does  not  the  blood  of  St.  Januarius  become  liquid  once  a 
year?  Do  not  pictures  weep  and  bleed,  and  skeleton 
bones  fall  upon  doctors'  tables  ?* 

When  we  returned  to  the  Triandaphylli  mansion,  we 
found  the  Roses,  old  and  young,  at  their  supper.  Their 
meal  consisted  of  a  stew  of  veal  and  onions,  with  bread 
and  good  wine.  The  old  lady  handed  me  her  glass,  and 
her  husband  picked  out  and  extended  to  me  on  his  fork,  a 
choice  fragment  of  meat,  as  a  token  of  hospitality.  While 
we  had  been  absent,  Franyois  had  improved  the  opportu 
nity,  and  gratified  his  own  and  their  love  of  gossip,  by 
giving  all  manner  of  information  concerning  us.  When, 
therefore,  I  took  the  glass  of  wine,  Mrs.  Rose  arose,  like  a 
Pythia,  with  extended  arms,  and  moved  by  the  Delphic 
spirit,  uttered  a  prophetic  sentence.  What  she  said,  you, 
reader,  have  no  right  to  know :  it  suffices  that  the  oracle  is 
not  yet  dumb.  It  spake  to  me :  and,  under  the  spell  of  the 
place,  I  believed  it.  Was  it  fulfilled  ?  you  ask.  Well — no. 

Fran9ois  slept  among  the  Roses,  and  we  in  an  outer 
room,  lulled  by  a  wind  which  threatened  to  shake  down  the 
house.  In  the  morning,  it  still  blew  so  violently,  that  I 
gave  up  my  intention  of  visiting  the  Corcyrean  Cave,  espe 
cially  as  we  learned  that  the  upper  plateau  of  Parnassus 
was  still  covered  with  snow.  We  went,  however,  to  the 
stadium  of  the  Delphic  games,  which  lies  along  the  hill 
side,  above  the  village.  Parting  with  our  friendly  hosts, 

*  See  the  Annals  of  Spiritualism  in  New  York. 


234  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

we  passed  out  by  the  ancient  gate  of  Delphi,  which  was 
hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock.  On  rounding  the  corner  of  the 
mountain,  there  opened  upon  us  a  glorious  view  of  the  rich, 
olive-covered  Chrissean  plain  below,  the  Gulf  of  Corinth, 
with  Erymanthus  and  Pan-achaicum  beyond,  and  the  daz 
zling  Dorian  mountains  to  the  westward.  The  descent  to 
the  valley,  which  was  rough  and  difficult,  occupied  two 
hours. 

On  the  slope  of  the  opposite  mountain,  lay  the  nourish 
ing  town  of  Salona.  We  did.  not  visit  it,  but  bore  to  the 
right,  up  the  course  of  the  stream,  into  the  Dorian  hills. 
The  valley  gave  cheering  evidence  of  improvement,  being 
covered  with  young  olive  orchards  and  thriving  vineyards, 
to  the  extent  of  which  the  people  are  adding  every  year. 
At  the  bottom  of  each  field  was  a  square  basin  of  masonry, 
with  a  hole  leading  to  a  sunken  vat — a  primitive  but  very 
serviceable  wine-press.  The  gorge  now  became  narrow 
and  wild,  overhung  by  precipices  of  blue  limestone,  stained 
with  the  loveliest  orange  tints.  Turning  a  sudden  angle, 
we  saw  before  us  the  village  of  Topolia,  built  up  a  steep 
cape  of  the  mountain,  at  the  intersection  of  two  valleys, 
rich  with  fine  old  olive  groves.  Sparkling  streams  gushed 
down  the  rocks  in  silver  foam,  and  hedges  of  fig  and  pome 
granate  embowered  the  paths.  Here  the  blast  of  war, 
which  has  elsewhere  in  Greece  left  such  desolating  traces, 
seems  never  to  have  reached.  It  was  an  idyl  of  the  ancient 
Doris. 

The  houses  were  large,  two-storied,  and  comfortable,  and 
the  people,  who  thronged  the  narrow,  tortuous  streets  in 
Sunday  idleness,  had  mostly  faces  of  the  old  Hellenic 


PARNASSUS    AND    THE    DOKIAN    MOUNTAINS.  235 

stamp.  Some  children,  gathered  about  a  fountain,  were  as 
beautiful  as  anything  in  ancient  art.  After  a  search,  we 
found  a  large  country  store,  better  stocked  than  any  we 
saw  in  Greece.  Here  we  breakfasted,  gazed  upon  by  a 
curious,  but  good-humored  and  friendly  crowd.  The  people 
asked  many  questions,  and  seemed  delighted  that  I  was  able 
to  converse  a  little  with  them  in  their  own  language.  I 
was  considerably  puzzled  for  awhile  by  their  speaking  of 
Delphi  as  Adelphous.  Among  others,  a  dumb  man  came 
in,  and  made  piteous  attempts  to  talk  to  us,  accompanying 
his  gestures  with  uncouth,  inarticulate  noises.  We  took 
special  notice  of  him,  which  seemed  to  gratify  the  others 
very  much.  I  gave  him  a  tumbler  of  wine,  which  he  flou 
rished  around  his  head,  and  then  drank,  placing  one  hand 
upon  his  heart,  with  signs  of  extravagant  joy.  I  was 
delighted  to  find  that  here,  as  in  Sparta,  the  character  of 
the  people  improved  in  proportion  as  they  approached  the 
purity  of  the  ancient  blood. 

After  leaving  Topolia,  our  road  took  to  the  hills,  cross 
ing  the  summit  of  the  lower  ridges,  connecting  Parnassus 
with  the  Dorian  Mountains.  We  passed  a  most  pictu 
resque  old  mill,  with  a  lofty  race,  raised  on  a  wall,  from 
which  the  water  was  carried  to  the  wheel  in  curious  wicker 
tubes,  plastered  with  clay.  It  was  a  ride  of  nearly  four 
hours  to  the  khan  of  Gravia,  over  the  wild,  uninhabited 
hills,  sparsely  dotted  with  fir-trees  on  their  northern  side. 
As  we  descended  towards  the  upper  valley  of  the  Cephissus, 
(Eta,  the  boundary  of  Thessaly  Phthiotis,  came  in  sight. 
Following  the  course  of  a  rapid  stream,  we  descended  into 
the  valley,  which  opened  green  and  lovely  before  us,  shining 


236  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

softly  in  the  mellow  gleam  of  the  sun,  already  dropping 
behind  the  Dorian  snows.  The  place  contained  only  half 
a  dozen  houses,  each  one  of  which  was  anxious  to  offer  us 
lodgings.  Our  room  was  large  and  dirty,  but  the  evening 
soup  was  better  than  ever,  and  besides,  our  Topolian  wine 
was  of  that  kind  which  cheers  the  heart,  but  not  inebriates 
the  brain. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  FRONTIER   OF  THESSALY. 

WHEN  we  left  the  khan  of  Gravia  at  sunrise,  hundreds 
of  nightingales  were  singing  in  the  green  thickets,  and  the 
light  already  lay  warm  on  the  glorious  plain.  After  cross 
ing  Cephissus,  we  rode  for  two  hours  across  the  low  hills 
along  the  western  base  of  GEta,  which  were  completely 
covered  with  forests  of  oak,  in  full  foliage.  Although  our 
bridle  track  was  rough  and  muddy,  I  enjoyed  greatly  those 
sweet  Arcadian  woods,  brightened  by  the  purple  sprays  of 
the  Judas-tree,  and  fragrant  with  the  odors  of  the  flow^er- 
spangled  turf.  The  ground  was  covered  with  fallen  trunks 
and  dead  limbs — an  immense  supply  of  fire-wood,  rotting 
idly  in  a  country  where  it  is  exceedingly  scarce  and  dear. 
Franjois  affirmed  that  the  Dorians  were  mostly  bandits, 
and  that  their  laziness  accounted  for  the  ruined  and 
neglected  appearance  of  the  country.  As  we  climbed  the 
sides  of  (Eta,  plunging  up  and  down  great  ravines,  there 
were  fine  views  of  Parnassus  across  the  plain.  Another 
hour  of  ascent  brought  us  to  the  summit,  and  we  saw, 


238  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

through  the  mountain  gateway  opening  before  us,  Mount 
Othrys,  an  off-shoot  of  Pindus,  and  the  modern  as  it  was 
the  ancient  frontier  of  Greece  on  the  north. 

On  the  topmost  peak  of  GEta,  which  rose  on  our  right, 
near  at  hand,  is  the  spot  where  Hercules  died,  wrapped  in 
the  poisoned  shirt  of  the  Centaur.  But  how  dim  seemed 
those  grand  old  traditions  in  the  clear,  unillusive  light  of  a 
spring  morning  !  Hercules  was  as  far  away  as  if  that  were 
the  Alleghanies,  and  not  CEta,  and  the  only  association 
which  came  readily  to  my  mind  was  an  absurd  one.  A  few 
months  before,  I  had  been  reading  Immerrnann's  novel  of 
"  Mtinchausen,"  wherein,  under  the  disguise  of  goats  upon 
Mount  CEta,  he  holds  up  the  transcendentalists  and  reform 
ers  of  Germany  to  the  most  exquisite  and  unmerciful  ridi 
cule.  These  goats  and  their  socialistic  pranks  obstinately 
thrust  themselves  on  my  memory,  and  instead  of  sighing 
sentimentally,  I  laughed  profanely.  O  heroes  and  demi 
gods  !  pardon  me  ;  and  yet  not  only  Aristophanes,  but 
Plato,  would  have  done  the  same  thing.  Let  us  be  honest, 
if  we  cannot  be  ideal.  When  a  man  always  feels  the  pro 
per  emotion  at  the  right  place,  suspect  him  ! 

Descending  for  a  mile  or  two  through  groves  of  fir,  oak, 
and  beach,  we  came  upon  the  open  side  of  CEta,  whence  a 
superb  panorama  is  suddenly  unfolded  to  the  view.  The 
great  plain  of  the  Spercheios,  tinted  with  all  the  softest 
colors  of  spring — a  shifting  web  of  pink,  green,  and  gold — 
lay  unrolled  beneath  from  its  far  source  at  the  feet  of  Pin 
dus  to  the  broad  arc  in  which  it  embraces  the  Malian  gulf. 
Beyond  the  valley  ran  the  long  gray  ridge  of  Othrys,  ter 
minating,  far  to  the  east,  in  the  snowy  summit  of  Pelion. 


THE    FRONTIER    OF    THESSALY.  239 

The  town  of  Lamia,  sprinkled  in  a  hollow  at  the  base  of  the 
hills,  glimmered  faintly  in  the  distance.  The  blue  moun 
tains  of  Eubcea  bounded  the  view  on  the  east,  and  deep 
down  on  our  right,  at  the  base  of  (Eta,  lay  the  pass  of 
Thermopylae.  A  long  and  rough  descent  followed,  but  the 
path  was  shaded  with  oak,  ilex,  laurel,  mastic,  and  pine, 
among  which  were  the  first  beeches  we  had  seen  in  Greece. 
We  breakfasted  at  a  fountain,  half-way  down  ;  then,  leaving 
the  baggage  to  take  the  direct  road  to  Lamia,  descended  to 
the  corner  where  (Eta  of  old  jutted  into  the  gulf,  forming 
the  pass  of  immortal  name. 

Thermopyla3  is  not  so  formidable  now.  The  deposits  of 
the  Spercheios  have,  in  the  course  of  twenty-three  hundred 
years,  formed  a  marsh,  from  one  to  three  miles  in  width, 
between  the  base  of  the  mountains  and  the  sea.  The  Per 
sian  army  was  encamped  upon  the  broad  valley  of  the 
Spercheios,  while  the  Greeks  had  posted  themselves  a  mile 
or  more  within  the  pass,  near  the  hot-springs  whence  it 
devives  its  name.  Here  the  Spartans  were  seen  by  Per 
sian  scouts,  on  the  morning  of  the  battle,  washing  their 
faces  and  combing  their  long  hair.  They  seem  to  have 
advanced  to  the  mouth  of  the  pass,  and  there  met  the  first 
onset ;  but  gradually  fell  back  to  a  low  hill  near  their  first 
position,  where  the  last  of  them  were  slain.  The  similarity 
between  Thermopylae  and  the  field  of  Issus,  where  Alex 
ander  defeated  Darius,  is  quite  remarkable. 

We  gathered  a  few  wild  flowers  from  .the  spot,  and  then 
turned  about  for  Lamia.  Some  peasants  came  out  of  their 
cane  huts,  built  on  the  edge  of  the  marsh;  and  one  of  them 
handed  me  a  common  copper  coin  of  the  Eastern  Empire, 


240  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

begging  me  to  tell  him  what  it  was.  He  said  that  his 
father,  who  had  found  it  when  plowing,  had  been  offered 
two  dollars  for  it,  but  had  refused.  "  If  anybody  offers  you 
ten  dollars,"  said  Franyois,  "  don't  sell  it ;  but  hang  it  by  a 
string  around  the  neck  of  your  oldest  boy,  and  it  will  bring 
him  good  luck."  "  What  do  you  mean  by  deceiving  the 
poor,  man  in  that  manner  ?"  I  asked.  "  Oh !"  answered 
my  inveterate  guide,  "  he  is  a  beast ;  if  you  told  him  the 
coin  was  worth  ten  lepta  (two  cents),  he  would  be  offended. 
He  wished  to  sell  it  to  you  for  five  dollars :  better  make 
him  happy,  and  save  yourself  from  being  bored,  by  con 
firming  him  in  his  own  stupidity."  With  which  practical, 
but  not  very  commendable  doctrine,  Franyois  lighted  a 
fresh  cigar. 

We  crossed  the  Spercheios  on  a  high  Venetian  bridge ; 
and,  after  passing  the  marsh,  which  was  a  wilderness  of 
the  pink  and  white  spiraea,  in  full  bloom,  rode  on  over 
level  grain-fields  to  Lamia.  This  town  has  been  compared 
to  Athens,  and  there  is,  in  fact,  considerable  resemblance 
between  the  two  places.  The  Acropolis  is  very  similar  in 
form  and  position ;  and  there  are  even  suggestions  of  the 
Nympheion,  the  Museion,  and  Lycabettus,  between  which 
the  town  occupies  the  same  relative  position.  The  fortress 
on  the  Acropolis  is  Venetian,  but  made  picturesque  by  the 
addition  of  a  Turkish  mosque  and  minaret.  Two  other 
minarets  in  the  town  still  remain;  and  these,  with  the 
camels  which  travel  back  and  forth  from  the  port  of  Stylida, 
called  to  mind  the  Moslem  cities  of  the  Levant. 

On  entering  Lamia,  we  inquired  for  a  khan,  which,  it 
seems,  the  place  does  not  afford.  While  engaged  in  seek- 


THE    FRONTIER    OF    TIIESSALY.  241 

ing  lodgings,  we  were  accosted  by  a  soldier,  who  bore  a 
pressing  invitation  from  the  Commander  of  the  gen 
darmerie,  that  we  should  come  and  take  up  our  quarters 
at  his  house.  I  declined — saying  that  we  had  already  found 
rooms;  and,  while  we  thanked  the  Commander  for  his 
courtesy,  would  not  be  obliged  to  trouble  him.  "  Oh!  but 
he  expects  you,"  said  the  soldier:  "he  has  been  looking 
for  your  arrival  all  day."  "Then  it  is  a  mistake,"  I 
answered ;  "  and  he  takes  us  for  somebody  else."  By  the 
time  our  pack-horses  were  unloaded,  however,  a  second 
messenger  arrived.  "  The  Commander  begs  that  you  will 
come  immediately  to  his  house,  he  expects  you,  and  has  let 
ters  for  you  from  Athens."  Again  I  asserted  that  there 
was  some  mistake.  "  No,  no,"  said  the  messenger ;  "  you 
are  the  very  ones.  He  received  letters  two  days  ago  about 
you.  He  will  not  accept  any  refusal." 

I  thought  it  barely  possible  that  General  Church,  Mr. 
Hill,  or  some  other  good  friend  in  Athens  might  have 
written  to  Lamia  in  my  behalf,  after  my  departure,  and 
finally  decided  to  accompany  the  messenger.  He  conducted 
us  at  once  to  the  commander's  residence,  a  neat,  comfort 
able  house  on  the  slope  of  the  hill,  and  ushered  us  into  the 
presence  of  Major  Plessos,  who  received  us  with  great 
cordiality.  "My  friend,  Gen.  Church,"  said  he,  "has 
written  to  me  announcing  your  arrival,  and  I  am  very 
glad  to  welcome  you  to  my  house."  I  then  remembered 
distinctly  that  Gen.  Church  had  spoken  to  me  of  his  friend 
Plessos,  in  Lamia,  and  had  offered  me  letters  of  introduc 
tion,  which  I  had  neglected  to  bring  with  me.  Presuming, 
therefore,  that  all  was  right,  I  accepted  the  proffered  hospi- 

11 


242  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

tality,  and  sent  Fran9ois  after  the  baggage.  But  I  was 
presently  undeceived.  The  major  handed  me  a  letter 
saying  :  "  This  is  for  you — it  arrived  several  days  ago !  " 
Behold !  it  was  for  Mr.  Gardner,  M.  P.,  who  was  travelling 
somewhere  in  Euboea.  I  at  once  explained  the  mistake, 
and  proposed  to  retreat ;  but  the  friendly  commander  would 
not  hear  of  such  a  thing.  "  I  have  you  now,"  said  he,  "  and 
here  you  shall  stay  until  you  leave  Lamia.  A  friend  of 
Gen.  Church,  and  an  American,  is  always  a  welcome  guest." 

Lieutenant  Mano,  a  nephew  of  Mavrocordato,  joined  us 
at  dinner,  and  in  the  evening  came  in  a  Mainote  captain — 
a  strikingly  handsome,  agreeable  fellow.  As  they  all  spoke 
French  and  Italian,  we  had  a  very  animated  conversation 
on  the  political  condition  of  Greece.  My  new  acquaintances 
were  enthusiastic  patriots,  as  was  proper ;  but  the  -admis 
sions  they  made,  tended  to  confirm  my  previous  impres 
sions.  Major  Plessos  has  the  task  of  suppressing  brigandage 
on  the  Thessalian  frontier,  which  he  appears  to  have  done 
very  effectually.  The  room  in  which  we  slept  was  hung 
with  trophies  taken  from  the  robbers — long  Albanian 
muskets,  ornamented  Avith  silver,  pistols,  yataghans, 
splendid  silver  belts,  and  even  richly-ornamented  cases  of 
the  pure  metal,  designed  to  contain  a  copy  of  the  New 
Testament !  The  robbers,  you  must  know,  are  gentlemen 
and  Christians ;  and  although  they  cut  off  the  noses  of 
shepherds  and  pour  boiling  oil  on  the  breasts  of  women,  I 
have  often  heard  them  spoken  of  by  the  Greeks  with  a 
certain  degree  of  admiration  and  respect. 

After  we  had  got  into  bed,  Fran9ois,  whose  tongue  had 
been  loosened  by  the  Phthiotan  wine,  redder  than  the 


THE  FRONTIER  OF  THESSALY.  243 

blood  spilt  at  Thermopylae,  sat  down  upon  a  chest  of  arms, 
and  became  confidential.  The  sight  of  the  glittering 
weapons  suspended  on  the  wall  carried  him  back  to  the 
struggles  for  Grecian  independence,  in  which  he  had  borne 
his  part.  He  had  fought  in  Doris  and  Etolia ;  had  taken 
part  in  Fabvier's  unfortunate  expedition  to  Scio ;  and  had 
been  for  years  a  captive  in  Stamboul.  "  Ah ! "  said  he, 
with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  crossed  yataghans,  "  we  came 
over  ground  to-day  that  I  know  but  too  well !  I  fought 
the  Turks,  many  a  day,  on  those  hills,  as  you  go  from 
Gravia  towards  the  ruins  of  Orchomenos.  We  had  a  little 
battery — three  guns  only — but  it  annoyed  the  Turks  very 
much ;  and  they  made  a  desperate  struggle  to  get'  hold  of 
it.  Out  of  two  hundred  men,  I  don't  believe  we  had  sixty 
left.  They  wouldn't  have  taken  it,  after  all,  if  we  had  not 
lost  our  captain.  He  was  a  mountaineer  from  Acarnania, 
one  of  the  handsomest  men  you  ever  saw ;  tall,  with  a  head 
and  shoulders  like  a  lion,  blue  eyes,  and  a  magnificent 
beard,  as  blonde  as  a  Muscovite's.  We  w^ere  working  the 
guns  with  all  our  might,  for  the  Turks  were  coming  down 
upon  us.  He  sprang  upon  a  parapet  to  give  orders,  and  I 
was  leaning  back,  looking  at  him,  and  waiting  for  the  word. 
His  sword-arm  was  stretched  out,  his  eyes  flashing,  and  his 
mouth  opened  to  shout — when,  all  at  once,  I  saw  his  forehead 
break  in.  He  did  not  waver,  his  arm  was  still  stretched ; 
but  instead  of  words,  a  sound  like  '  Zt — zzt — zzt ! '  came 
from  his  mouth.  Then  his  knees  suddenly  bent,  and  he  fell 
down,  stone-dead.  We  fought  like  devils  ;  but  each  man 
for  himself,  after  that — no  command  anywhere — and  the 
Turks  got  the  battery." 


244  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

"  Were  you  wounded  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Not  then,  but  a  few  days  afterwards.  I  escaped,  picked 
up  a  horse,  and  joined  a  body  of  lancers.  We  kept  up  a 
sort  of  guerilla  warfare  about  the  plains  of  Orchomenos, 
avoiding  large  bodies  of  the  enemy.  But  one  day  the 
Turkish  cavalry  surprised  us.  When  a  man  is  desperate, 
he  loses  his  wits;  and  I  have  not  much  recollection  of 
what  followed.  There  was  dust,  there  were  sabres,  pistol 
shots,  yells,  and  mad  riding.  I  tumbled  a  Turk  off  his 
horse  with  my  last  pistol,  and  threw  it  at  the  head  of 
another  who  rode  full  tilt  upon  me.  Then  my  own  horse 
jumped,  and  I  lost  my  senses.  When  I  opened  my  eyes,  it 
was  dark  night.  I  was  in  a  hut,  on  my  back,  and  a  woman 
sat  beside  me.  It  was  a  peasant's  wife,  whom  I  knew;  but 
I  could  not  imagine  what  I  was  doing  there.  I  tried  to 
rise,  but  felt  as  if  every  bone  in  my  body  was  broken. 
1  Where  am  I  ?  What's  the  matter  ?'  I  asked.  '  Oh,'  she 
cried,  'we  are  beaten!'  Then  I  remembered  all.  I  had 
a  bad  lance  wound  in  my  leg,  and  was  dreadfully  bruised, 
but  knew  that  I  was  not  going  to  die.  'Where  are 
the  others  ?'  I  asked.  l  Where  is  Giorgios  ?  Where  is 
Constantinos?  Where  is  Spiridion?'  She  only  clasped  her 
hands  and  cried  aloud,  and  I  knew  that  they  were  dead.  I 
got  well  after  awhile,  but  saw  no  more  service  until  I 
joined  Fabvier.  Ah,  Dieu  !  to  think  of  the  blood  we  shed 
— and  what  has  come  of  it?"  Thereupon  Fran9ois 
relapsed  into  a  fit  of  melancholy  musing — pending  which  I 
fell  asleep. 

In  the  morning,  the  Major  proposed  riding  to  the  summit 
of  Othrys,  in  order  to  look  upon  the  plains  of  Th^ssaly ; 


THE    FllONTIEli    OF   THESSALY.  245 

but  the  weather  was  so  calm  that  I  feared  we  would  be 
delayed  in  crossing  to  Euboea,  and  reluctantly  gave  orders 
to  proceed  to  the  port  of  Stylida.  After  breakfast  we  set 
out,  accompanied  by  the  Major  and  Lieut.  Mano  for  the 
first  few  miles.  A  carriage-road  to  Stylida  has  been  com 
menced,  and  is  about  half  finished:  200,000  drachmas 
($33,000)  have  also  been  raised  for  a  road  across  the  marsh 
to  Thermopylae ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  get  laborers. 

Stylida,  the  port  of  Lamia,  ten  miles  distant,  is  a  pictu 
resque,  pleasant  little  place.  Our  first  business,  on  arriving, 
was  to  secure  a  boat,  and  we  were  not  long  in  finding  one. 
It  was  a  solidly  built  sloop,  about  thirty  feet  long,  which 
had  just  arrived  from  one  of  the  outer  islands,  with  a  load 
of  maize,  brought  to  Stylida,  to  be  ground ;  after  which, 
it  would  be  taken  back  as  flour.  Ajax  and  Themistocles, 
who,  at  first,  positively  refused  to  cross  with  their  horses, 
preferring  to  give  up  the  remainder  of  the  contract,  and 
return  home,  now  declared  that  they  would  go  with  us. 
We  were  obliged  to  wait  until  evening  for  the  land-breeze, 
and  in  the  meantime  furnished  some  entertainment  to  the 
good  people  of  the  town,  who  inspected  us  during  the 
afternoon  with  a  friendly  curiosity. 

The  sloop  was  decked  fore-and-aft,  but  there  was  an 
opening  in  the  hold,  midships,  about  six  by  eight  feet  in 
dimensions,  and  into  this  place  all  our  five  horses  were 
stowed.  They  were  gotten  aboard  without  a  great  deal 
of  trouble,  a  little  frightened  but  submissive.  As  there 
was  a  dead  calm,  the  captain's  two  boys  towed  us  out  of 
the  harbor  in  a  little  boat.  Braisted  and  I  crept  into  the 
after-hold,  a  hot,  cramped  place,  where  we  lay  until  nearly 


246  TRAVELS   IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

suffocated ;  then  went  on  deck,  smoked,  and  watched  the 
sails  for  an  hour,  and  finally,  turned  in  at  midnight  to  sleep. 
The  night  was  quiet,  with  an  occasional  puff  from  the 
land.  Towards  morning,  the  captain  anchored  under  an 
island  off  the  extreme  north-western  point  of  Euboea, 
whence  at  dawn  he  rowed  to  the  beach,  where  we  anchored 
broadside  on.  At  sunrise,  we  commenced  discharging  the 
cargo,  which  was  a  work  of  some  difficulty ;  but  by  dint 
of  patience,  main  force,  and  the  whip,  the  horses  were,  one 
after  another,  made  to  rear,  plunge  over  the  sloop's  side, 
and  take  to  the  shore.  The  first  one  cleared  the  gunwale 
in  good  style,  but  all  the  others  caught  with  their  hind  legs, 
and  were  thrown  headlong  into  the  water.  The  poor  beasts 
were  rejoiced  to  get  upon  firm  earth  again ;  nor  were  we 
less  so,  for  we  were  all  tired  and  hungry.  But  we  were 
now  upon  Euboea — the  Negropont  of  the  Middle  Ages — 
the  largest  of  the  Grecian  isles. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

ADVENTURES     IN     E  U  B  (E  A  . 

ON  landing  in  Euboea,  our  first  care  was  to  find  food  and 
rest.  Taking  the  first  donkey-path,  over  fields  and  through 
mastic  thickets,  we  reached,  in  about  an  hour,  a  scattering 
village,  high  up  on  the  side  of  the  mountain.  The  approach 
to  it  was  through  lanes  of  pomegranate  trees.  Streams  of 
water  gushed  down  the  hill-side,  fertilizing  wherever  they 
touched ;  and  the  vegetation  was  not  only  more  luxuriant, 
but  further  advanced  than  that  of  the  mainland.  Just 
above  the  village  there  was  a  magnificent  fountain  of  water, 
in  a  grove  of  enormous  plane-trees.  Two  of  the  trunks, 
which  Braisted  measured,  were  twenty-eight  and  a  half 
and  thirty-five  feet  in  circumference.  It  was  a  fresh,  lovely 
spot,  full  of  broken  light  and  shade,  and  musical  writh  the 
sound  of  falling  water  and  the  singing  of  nightingales  in 
the  pomegranate  thickets.  After  resting  two  hours  (during 
which  I  made  a  sketch  of  the  place),  we  breakfasted,  and 
then  started  for  Edipsos,  five  hours  distant. 

The  day  was  fair,  hot,  and  with  a  sultry  haze  in  the  air. 


248  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

After  ascending  the  steep  ridge  of  the  mountain  which 
forms  this  corner  of  Euboea,  we  had  a  long  and  rugged 
descent  on  the  northern  side,  overlooking  a  splendid  pano 
rama  of  the  Artemisian  strait,  the  mountains  of  Thessaly, 
and  the  snowy  peak  of  Pelion  in  the  background.  The 
path  was  lined  with  clumps  of  myrtle,  mastic,  laurel,  and 
other  glossy  and  fragrant  trees ;  while  flowers  of  all  hues 
spangled  the  banks. 

Edipsos  is  a  most  picturesque  village,  at  the  base  of  a 
lofty  mountain,  from  the  cleft  gorges  of  which  issues  a  fine 
stream.  Channels  of  swift,  clear  water  traverse  the  place ; 
and  the  houses  are  embowered  in  mulberry  and  fruit  trees. 
In  the  centre  of  the  village  is  an  immense  plane-tree,  the 
trunk  of  which  is  encircled  by  a  bench  for  summer  loungers. 
We  found  good  lodgings  in  the  house  of  the  schoolmaster. 
A  gend'arme^  who  persisted  in  talking  Greek  to  me, 
informed  me  that  there  are  a  number  of  fine  mineral  springs 
up  the  glen.  Bottles  of  the  water,  sent  to  Germany  to  be 
analysed,  were  found  to  contain  highly  medicinal  properties. 

The  next  morning,  we  rode  across  the  hills  to  the  splen 
did  plain  of  Xirochori,  the  rich  northern  extremity  of 
Euboea.  The  whole  Artemisian  strait,  and  the  island  of 
Skiathos,  in  the  ^Egean,  were  visible.  The  valley  and  vil 
lage  of  Agios  Joannes,  into  which  we  descended,  are  the 
property  of  M.  Mimot,  a  French  gentleman,  whose  mansion, 
surrounded  with  orchards,  occupies  a  commanding  situation 
on  one  of  the  lower  hills.  Here  we  had  a  slight  evidence 
of  what  may  be  done  in  Greece  by  the  exercise  of  a  little 
knowledge  and  industry.  Stone  walls  or  neat  wooden 
fences  bordered  the  road ;  orchards  of  thrifty  olive-trees, 


ADVENTURES    IN   EUBCEA.  249 

grafted  on  the  wild  stock,  covered  the  hills,  and  the  village, 
in  its  neatness,  comfort,  and  the  tidy,  prosperous  air  of  its 
inhabitants,  seemed  to  be  Swiss  rather  than  Greek.  A 
number  of  the  European  Philhellenes  settled  in  Eubrea  after 
the  independence  of  Greece  had  been  acknowledged.  The 
rich  Turkish  proprietors  were  allowed  a  few  years  to  dis 
pose  of  their  estates ;  and,  when  the  time  drew  to  an  end, 
were  forced  to  sell  out  for  a  mere  song,  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  purchasers.  Thus,  tracts  comprising  from  five 
to  ten  square  miles  of  the  richest  land  were  sold  at  prices 
ranging  from  $5,000  to  $10,000.  Under  the  present  misera 
ble  administration  of  government,  these  purchases  are  not 
such  great  bargains  as  might  be  supposed. 

Crossing  the  plain  of  Xirochori,  we  endeavored  to  strike 
the  main  road  leading  thence  down  the  centre  of  the  island 
to  Chalsis ;  yet  in  this,  the  richest  district  of  Greece,  a 
road  has  never  been  located !  Every  spring,  the  peasants 
plow  up  the  ground,  and  the  horse-path  with  it.  We  wan 
dered  about  two  or  three  hours  before  finding  a  trail,  but 
were  abundantly  repaid  by  the  beauty  of  the  valley  into 
which  it  conducted  us.  The  hills  were  covered  with  noble 
pine-trees.  A  handsome  mansion,  belonging  to  a  rich 
Greek,  stood  on  a  knoll  above  the  stream,  and  an  avenue 
of  young  trees  led  to  a  cheerful  summer-house  on  the 
height,  commanding  a  lovely  view  to  the  northward. 
Where  were  we  ?  This  was  not  the  bare,  barren,  savage 
Greece  we  knew  :  it  was  a  warm  dell  in  southern  Germany 
— the  home  of  ease,  taste,  rest,  and  security.  So  com 
pletely  is  it  in  the  power  of  man  to  transform  the  impres 
sion  of  a  landscape.  The  mansion,  the  avenue,  and  the 


250  TKAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

summer-house  banished  from  mind  the  ancient  Euboea,  the 
granary  of  Athens ;  or,  if  I  remembered  the  fact,  it  was 
but  to  notice  how  easily  classic  associations  are  outweighed 
by  the  amenities  of  modern  life.  But  when  we  reached 
the  summit  of  the  mountain,  and  looked  backward,  there 
stood,  as  if  to  rebuke  us,  not  only  Pelion,  silvered  with 
snow,  guarding  the  gulf  whence  Jason  sailed  with  his 
young  Argonauts,  but  Ossa  behind  him,  overlooking  the 
Yale  of  Tempe,  and  far,  far  away — the  dream  of  a  peak,  in 
the  vapory  slumber  of  the  air,  the  home  of  the  gods,  the 
immortal  mountain — Olympus  of  Thessaly  ! 

We  now  entered  a  deep,  wide  gorge,  leading  southward 
to  the  Euripean  strait.  Tall,  dark  pines  feathered  the 
mountain  sides  to  the  very  summit,  and  abundant  streams 
of  water  gushed  down  every  rocky  hollow.  The  road  was 
a  flint  trail,  difficult  to  find,  and  perilous  in  the  extreme. 
In  some  places  it  was  a  mere  thread,  notched  along  the 
face  of  a  precipice,  where  one  slip  would  have  sent  horse 
and  rider  down  the  awful  gulf.  "With  each  one  of  these 
dangerous  passes,  the  chances  of  our  safety  seemed  to  di 
minish  ;  and  when,  at  last,  we  reached  a  spot  where  the 
path  was  not  more  than  four  inches  wide,  resting  on  points 
of  rotten-looking  rock,  Ajax  and  Themistocles  turned  back 
with  the  pack  animals,  the  intrepid  Fran9ois  dismounted, 
and  the  mare  Erato  stopped  short.  My  nerves  were  in  a 
tingle,  but  the  sensation  was  more  agreeable  than  other 
wise.  Come,  Erato,  said  I,  this  is  not  much  worse  than 
those  poetical  chasms  over  which  your  divine  namesake 
has  often  carried  me.  Franyois  went  first,  leading  Boreas 
of  the  shaggy  mane.  I  did  not  dismount,  but  dropped 


ADVENTURES    IN   EUBGEA.  251 

the  reins  on  Erato's  neck.  As  softly  as  a  cat  stealing  upon 
a  bird,  she  put  out  one  paw,  tried  her  foothold,  then  brac 
ing  herself  upon  it,  brought  forward  the  next  foot  and 
planted  it  in  the  same  way,  and  thus,  inch  by  inch,  crept 
along.  I  sat  perfectly  still,  keeping  a  just  equilibrium,  and 
looking  at  the  path  ahead — not  for  worlds  into  the  yawning 
gulf.  Millions  of  the  finest  needles  were  sticking  into  the 
pores  of  my  skin ;  but  when  we  reached  the  opposite  side 
they  fell  out  suddenly,  and  I  felt  as  refreshed  as  if  I  had 
bathed  in  a  tub  of  liquid  electricity.  Braisted  followed 
in  the  same  way;  and  after  incredible  labor,  Ajax  and 
Themistocles  brought  their  horses  around  over  the  rocks. 

For  an  hour  and  a  half  more  we  descended  the  left  side 
of  the  grand  gorge,  which  gradually  contracted  so  as  to 
form  an  impassable  canon.  The  path  was  delightfully 
shaded  with  pines,  ilexes,  oaks,  and  laurels :  and  the  air, 
filled  with  warm  odors  of  scented  leaves  and  the  flowering 
gorse  and  cistus,  was  delicious  to  inhale.  Finally,  we 
reached  the  last  knee  of  the  mountain,  which  commands  a 
wide  prospect  of  the  Euboean  Gulf  and  the  Locrian  moun 
tains  beyond.  A  long  upland  terrace  lay  before  us,  and 
we  rode  for  an  hour  and  a  half  over  its  wooded  undulations 
without  seeing  any  signs  of  the  port  of  Limni,  our  destina 
tion.  The  sun  was  setting  in  a  bed  of  threatening  vapors, 
and  we  were  very  tired  and  hungry,  when  at  last  the  path 
led  down  a  ravine  to  some  fields  of  olive-trees  near  the  sea 
shore.  But  there  were  no  signs  of  habitations  :  only  some 
piles  of  sawed  timber  on  the  beach.  We  followed  the 
windings  of  the  indented  coast  for  nearly  two  hours  longer, 
before  we  came  upon  the  wished-for  haven,  which  is  snugly 


252  TliAVJfiLS    IN    G11KKC.E    A.ND    KUSSIA. 

hidden  away  in  a  little  triangular  nook  between  two  capes. 
In  my  map  (that  of  Berghaus,  published  by  Perthes)  the 
place  was  given  about  four  miles  too  far  to  the  northward 
— which  was  the  only  example  of  inaccuracy  I  found  during 
all  my  journeys  in  Greece.  On  my  return  to  Germany,  I 
pointed  it  out  to  Mr.  Berghaus,  who  made  the  correction 
at  once.  In  all  other  instances,  I  found  his  map  a  miracle 
of  accuracy. 

We  were  famishing,  and  sore  from  eleven  hours  in  the 
saddle,  and  the  appearance  of  the  well-built,  compact  vil 
lage,  with  its  large  houses  fronting  the  beach,  promised 
us  welcome  quarters.  The  people  gathered  about  us  curi 
ously,  for  a  traveller  was  a  rare  sight  there.  There  was 
no  khan ;  but  we  procured  lodgings  in  the  house  of  the 
richest  inhabitant.  The  mayor  and  other  dignitaries  kept 
my  Greek  in  use,  while  I  enjoyed  a  refreshing  narghileh 
before  dinner. 

In  the  morning,  while  we  were  taking  some  black  coffee, 
I  was  accosted  in  very  bad  English  by  a  young  sailor  of 
the  place,  who  had  made  a  voyage  to  Liverpool  and  thence 
to  Calcutta.  Presently  appeared  a  rough  old  fellow  with 
an  unmistakable  odor  of  salt  about  him,  who  hailed  us 
with :  "Good  morning !  How  do  you  come  on ?  Are 
you  Scotchmen  or  Irishmen  ?"  On  hearing  our  reply,  he 
seemed  greatly  surprised  and  delighted.  "You  Ameri 
cans  !  Why,  I  am  a  Yankee,  too !"  In  fact  he  had 
served  six  years  in  the  American  Navy,  two  years  of 
which  he  had  spent  at  the  Norfolk  and  Washington  Navy 
Yards.  "Ah!"  said  he,  "that  is  a  great  country:  you 
don't  see  any  such  piles  of  rock  as  here — ail  plain,  without 


ADVJUNTUltES   IN    EUBCEA.  253 

stones,  and  good  for  wheat."  He  was  a  native  of  Limni, 
where  he  had  a  family,  otherwise  he  would  have  gone  home 
with  us,  and  never  returned  to  Greece  again.  "  An  Ameri 
can  sailor,"  said  he,  "  is  a  gentleman,  but  the  Greeks  are 
all  liars  and  scamps.  They  are  my  people,  but  I  hate 
'em." 

The  health-officer  informed  me  that  some  remains  of  the 
ancient  town  of  Arga3  still  existed  in  the  village,  and  con 
ducted  us  thither,  followed  by  quite  a  concourse  of  villa 
gers.  We  found  the  foundations  of  a  small  but  very 
handsome  bath  of  the  Roman  time.  The  Mosaic  floors  of 
four  chambers  still  remain  in  a  tolerable  state,  with  some 
fragments  of  stone  and  brick  work,  and  broken  marble 
columns.  By  this  time  our  horses  were  ready,  and  the 
crowds  of  villagers  assembled  to  see  us  off,  our  would-be 
countryman  shaking  hands  and  swearing  in  sailor  fashion, 
as  he  lamented  his  inability  to  accompany  us. 

Our  path  led  up  the  sides  of  rough,  broken  hills  for 
about  an  hour,  when  we  reached  the  summit  ridge  of  the 
island,  and  saw  before  us  the  rich  eastern  valleys,  the 
^Egean,  and  the  scattered  islets  of  the  eparchia  of  Sko- 
pelos.  The  view  was  northern,  in  its  abundance  of  piny 
hills  and  green  intervening  vales ;  but  southern,  almost  tro 
pical,  in  the  hot,  dim,  silvery  atmosphere  in  which  they 
were  clothed.  It  was  really  inspiring  to  find  such  lovely 
Arcadian  scenery  in  Greece,  and  my  summer  memories  of 
the  forests  of  the  Mysian  Olympus  came  back  vividly  to 
mind.  The  richness  and  beauty  of  Eubo?a  would  never  be 
suspected  by  the  rapid  traveller,  who  satisfies  himself  with 
a  view  of  dusty  Attica,  or  the  thirsty  Argolis. 


254  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

After  breakfasting  beside  a  picturesque  mill,  in  a  lovely 
little  dell,  we  started  for  the  estate  of  Mr.  Noel,  an 
English  gentleman,  who  for  twenty  years  has  made  his 
home  in  this  solitude.  Riding  on  through  low  valleys, 
hedged  in  with  forested  hills,  we  soon  saw,  by  the  evident 
care  with  which  the  young  trees  had  been  protected,  that 
we  were  within  the  boundaries  of  his  domain.  Presently, 
we  came  upon  the  track  of  a  cart — a  most  unusual  sight,  in 
Greece.  Following  this,  we  emerged  from  the  woods,  and 
saw  before  us  Mr.  Noel's  mansion,  which  stands  on  a  gentle 
knoll,  commanding  a  superb  view  of  meadow  and  forest- 
land,  sweeping  into  hills  in  the  distance,  and  crowned  by 
the  snowy  summit  of  Pyxario !  We  rode  into  the  court 
and  dismounted,  while  a  servant  went  to  seek  Mr.  Noel, 
who  was  below  in  the  village.  His  son,  a  boy  of  twelve, 
who  spoke  English  with  a  little  hesitation,  showed  us,  in 
the  meanwhile,  a  large  tame  deer,  of  a  species  which  is  still 
quite  abundant  on  the  mountains.  He  was  a  noble  beast, 
much  larger  than  the  ordinary  European  deer,  and  so  com 
pletely  tamed,  that  it  was  difficult  to  keep  him  out  of  the 
house.  While  sitting  in  Mr.  Noel's  library,  in  the  after 
noon,  I  was  startled  by  the  thumping  of  his  antlers  on  the 
door.  Having  eifected  an  entrance,  he  marched  deliberately 
around  the  table,  snuffing  at  the  books,  and  finally  seizing 
upon  a  number  of  Galignani,  which  he  would  have  devour 
ed  in  a  very  literal  sense,  had  he  not  been  ejected  by  main 
force. 

Mr.  Noel  soon  appeared,  leading  with  him  our  baggage- 
horses,  which  he  had  met  on  their  way  to  the  khan.  The 
cordiality  of  his  reception  left  us  no  choice  but  to  stop 


ADVENTUKES    IN    EUBCEA.  255 

there  for  the  night.  While  he  went  off  to  the  forest  to 
superintend  the  lumbermen,  I  improved  the  time  by  making 
a  sketch  of  the  magnificent  landscape.  The  Judas-trees 
gushed  up  like  pink  fountains  among  the  tender  green  of 
the  thickets ;  violets  and  wild  thyme  scented  the  air,  and 
the  bees  hummed  their  sleepy  songs.  The  stream  flowing 
through  the  valley  was  bordered  by  a  double  row  of  enor 
mous  plane-trees,  and  the  distant  mountains,  instead  of 
lifting  their  limestone  crags  naked  in  the  sunshine,  were 
clothed  with  the  cool  robes  of  the  evergreen  pine.  All  the 
landscape,  from  the  unseen  ^Egean,  behind  the  eastern  hill, 
to  the  summit  of  Pyxario,  belonged  to  Mr.  Noel.  He  was 
lord  of  a  princely  domain,  in  a  land  of  immortal  name — yet 
I  commiserated  him.  It  was  a  lonely  life,  among  a  horde 
of  ignorant,  superstitious,  ungrateful  peasants,  under  a 
miserable  government,  where  his  example  availed  nothing, 
and  all  his  attempts  at  improvement  were  frustrated.  I 
confess,  the  sight  of  so  much  cultivation  and  refinement  as 
Mr.  Noel  possessed,  buried  in  such  a  wilderness,  impressed 
me  with  a  feeling  of  melancholy.  Everything  spoke  of 
exile  and  isolation.  His  daughter,  a  sweet  English  rose 
bud,  soon  to  blossom  into  womanhood,  seemed  far  out  of 
place  among  the  frowzy  Ariadnes  and  Iphigenias  of  the 
village,  whose  companionship,  even,  could  not  take  away 
from  her  that  quiet  grace  and  self-possession  which  she 
inherited  from  the  mother  who  now  sleeps  in  Grecian  soil. 
In  almost  any  other  country  in  the  world,  Mr.  Noel's 
labors  would  have  produced  more  hopeful  results.  Not 
only  has  he  built  more  comfortable  houses  for  his  tenantry, 
established  a  school  for  their  children  free  of  cost,  and  fur- 


256  TKAVELS   IN    GKEECE  AND   KUSS1A. 

nished  them  with  ample  employment,  but  he  has  also  intro 
duced  better  agricultural  implements,  and  endeavored  to 
teach  them  a  more  rational  system  of  farming.  He  has 
made  a  wagon-road  ten  miles  in  length,  from  the  forests  to 
the  sea-shore,  and  occupies  himself  principally  with  the  fell 
ing  of  timber,  which  is  shipped  from  his  own  beach  to  Syra 
and  the  other  island  ports.  The  natives,  however,  only 
laugh  at  his  good  advice ;  and  all  that  he  has  done  for 
them  emboldens  them  to  make  new  demands  on  his  gene 
rosity.  He  almost  despairs  of  improving  their  condition 
so  long  as  they  are  under  the  sway  of  a  creed  which  turns 
half  the  days  of  the  year  into  festivals,  and  deprives  them 
of  sufficient  nourishment  during  the  other  half.  Of  all  the 
absurdities  of  Paganism,  there  is  none  quite  so  irrational 
and  injurious  as  these  ordinances  of  the  Eastern  Church. 
A  Greek  Empire  in  the  Orient  is  simply  impossible  while 
they  continue  in  practice. 

It  was  a  great  comfort  to  sleep  in  clean  beds,  and  enjoy 
the  abundant  appliances  of  an  English  toilet.  The  morning 
was  cool  and  gusty,  and  as  we  had  determined  to  reach 
Chalcis,  we  took  leave  of  our  kind  host  immediately  after 
breakfast.  As  the  avenue  of  sycamores  in  the  valley  hid 
from  view  his  mansion,  and  the  noble  landscape  it  com 
mands,  I  repeated  Tasso's  "  bella  etd  deW  orof  and  sighed 
to  think  how  dreary  life  would  be  in  such  an  Arcadia,  with 
out  the  company  of  congenial  minds — but  with  such  a  com 
pany,  what  a  paradise  on  earth !  How,  far  away  from  the 
storms  and  commotions  in  which  we  live,  within  the  shel 
tering  circle  of  those  purple  hills,  all  pure  tastes  and  simple 
virtues  might  flourish — how  the  years  might  pass,  fair  and 


AD  VENTURES   LN   EUBCEA.  257 

soft  as  Grecian  days,  until  death  would  be  unwelcome,  were 
it  not  for  the  resignation  which  such  peace  would  breed ! 

O  Zimmerman !  thou  sentimental  imposter !  O  solitude ! 
thou  immortal  humbug  !  It  is  very  fine  to  talk  of  commu 
nion  with  Nature  when  you  have  a  home  and  family,  books, 
horses,  and  amusements  to  fall  back  upon;  but  Nature, 
without  Man,  is  a  sorry  teacher.  Four  years  more  of  soli 
tude  would  have  made  Selkirk  a  brute  or  an  idiot,  and 
even  your  Plato  would  go  a  long  way  on  the  same  down 
ward  road.  What  are  the  lonely  shepherds  on  Alpine 
heights  ?  What  were  the  anchorites  of  the  early  Christian 
ages  ?  No !  better  a  garret  in  the  Five  Points  than  a  cave 
in  the  Theban  Desert. 

Our  road  was  a  beautiful  shaded  path,  following  the 
stream  to  its  source  in  the  mountains,  whence  we  climbed 
the  spinal  ridge  of  the  island — a  cold,  windy  region,  over 
grown  with  pines.  From  the  summit  we  saw,  shimmering 
in  the  distance,  the  wheat-plains  of  Chalcis,  and  far  to  the 
south-east  the  snowy  wedge  of  Mount  Delphi,  which  is 
between  five  and  six  thousand  feet  in  height.  The  descent 
occupied  two  hours,  and  the  afternoon  was  far  advanced 
before  we  caught  sight  of  the  yellow  walls  and  white  mina 
rets  of  the  city.  Our  wanderings  in  Euboea  were  now  at 
an  end,  and  a  distance  of  only  fifty  miles  separated  us  from 
our  home  in  Athens. 

The  afternoon  and  evening  were  intensely  hot.  We 
clattered  through  the  stony  streets,  in  the  full  glare  of  the 
sun,  and  finally  found  a  sort  of  hotel,  kept  mainly  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  officers  in  the  fortress.  Here  we 
obtained  a  room,  and  in  the  course  of  time  a  dinner,  con- 


258  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

sisting  of  beefsteaks  and  English  ale — smoked  a  narghileh 
on  the  quay  among  a  lot  of  dirty  sailors,  watched  the  fune 
ral  of  a  soldier  from  the  windows — tried  to  write,  and  gave 
it  up  on  account  of  the  heat,  and  finally  came  to  the  con 
clusion  that  Chalcis  was  the  dullest  and  stupidest  town  in 
all  Greece.  The  three  Mohammedan  mosques,  however, 
were  some  relief  to  the  eye.  This,  we  believe,  is  the  only 
place  in  the  kingdom  where  a  residence  is  permitted  to  the 
Turks.  The  only  incident  which  occurred  during  our  stay 
was  the  visit  of  a  Greek,  having  in  charge  the  horses  of  an 
English  traveller,  who  had  sailed  from  Sunium  for  the 
southern  end  of  Eubosa  ten  days  before,  and  had  not  been 
heard  from.  The  man  was  in  great  distress — because,  if 
the  Englishman  had  been  lost,  he  would  be  obliged  to  pay 
for  the  keep  of  his  horses.  We  could  give  him  no  conso 
lation,  but  we  were  glad  to  learn,  a  week  afterwards,  that 
the  traveller  finally  turned  up. 

Starting  the  next  morning  bright  and  early,  we  crossed 
the  Euripean  Strait  by  a  new  drawbridge,  over  which  all 
Greece  rejoices,  as  it  is  almost  the  only  public  work  which 
the  government  has  accomplished.  It  had  been  solemnly 
inaugurated  by  the  king  and  queen  two  months  previous — 
on  which  occasion  their  majesties  fared  no  better  than  per 
sons  of  common  clay.  A  storm  came  on,  the  house  in 
which  they  were  lodged  took  fire,  they  were  obliged  to 
sleep  in  rooms  half  full  of  drifted  snow,  and  even  the 
queen's  wet  robes  of  ceremony  were  ironed  dry  without 
being  taken  off  her  royal  person !  This  memorable  bridge 
once  passed,  we  were  on  the  mainland  again,  arid  in  half  an 
hour  rode  along  the  strand  of— Aulis  !  Yes,  this  little  bay, 


ADVENTURES    IN    EUBCEA.  259 

this  stony  hill,  these  few  blocks  of  hewn  limestone,  gnawed 
by  the  teeth  of  three  thousand  years,  witnessed  the  assem 
blage  of  the  armament  destined  for  Troy — that  is,  provided 
such  a  thing  ever  took  place.  At  any  rate,  this  is  Aulis, 
the  golden,  the  Homeric  name — a  trumpet-word  in  Grecian 
song. 

Trotting  rapidly  onwards  three  hours  over  rich  plains 
of  wheat,  three  more  over  hills  and  hollows,  spotted  with 
plane-trees  and  huge  Boeotian  oaks,  and  two  more  over 
stony,  broken  heights,  we  at  last  reached  the  northern  side 
of  Parnes,  beyond  whose  pines  lay  Attica,  now  almost  as 
much  a  home  to  us  as  it  was  to  Pisistratus  and  Solon.  The 
baggage,  guarded  by  Ajax  and  Themistocles,  was  far 
behind ;  our  three  horses,  Erato,  Boreas,  and  Chiron,  were 
pretty  well  spent,  but  five  or  six  hours  more  would  bring 
us  to  Athens,  and  we  still  cheered  them  on.  We  received 
news  on  the  way  that  the  robber-chief,  Kalabaliki,  the 
terror  of  northern  Greece,  had  just  been  captured  near 
Thebes  and  his  band  broken  up.  On  the  top  of  Parnes  we 
were  joined  by  three  soldiers,  who  were  lounging  in  the 
rear,  when  three  armed  men  suddenly  emerged  from  a 
thicket.  I  did  not  for  a  moment  doubt  that  they  were 
members  of  Kalabaliki's  band :  we  confronted  them  boldly, 
and  passed,  and  as  the  soldiers  came  into  view,  they 
retreated  again  into  the  woods.  A  little  before  sunset  we 
emerged  from  the  forest,  and  saw  the  plain  of  Attica 
stretching  away  before  us  until  it  was  blended  with  the 
^Egean  Sea  in  the  distance.  The  turf,  on  the  upper  slopes 
of  the  mountain  around  us,  was  as  green  as  in  Switzerland ; 
clumps  of  pine  were  sprinkled  over  the  knolls,  and  this 


260  TBAYKLS    1$    GKKECE   AND    KUSSIA. 

fresh  northern  foreground  gave  an  exquisite  charm  to  the 
glorious  landscape,  painted  with  the  purple  and  violet  tints 
of  the  Grecian  air.  Far  away — a  golden  speck  against  the 
sky — rose  the  Acropolis,  beckoning  us  on. 

And  on  we  went.  Down  to  the  plain,  spurring  the 
exhausted  horses,  while  the  sunset  waned  away.  Past 
dusty  villages,  past  dark  wheat-fields,  dim  olive  groves  and 
vineyards,  fragrant  with  the  newly-stirred  earth,  until  we 
reached  the  well-known  houses  of  Patissia.  Then  the 
horses  knew  where  we  were,  and  resigned  themselves  to 
the  task.  In  half  an  hour  more,  just  as  the  moon  rose 
behind  Hymettus,  and  struck  in  gleaming  sparkles  on  the 
scarred  pillars  of  the  Parthenon,  we  jumped  from  our  sad 
dles  at  the  door  of  the  House  of  Vitalis,  thus  terminating 
the  ride  through  Northern  Greece. 

Ajax  and  Themistocles  made  their  appearance  towards 
noon  the  next  day — the  former  having  been  seized  by  the 
valiant  guard  on  Mount  Parnes,  and  detained  all  night  on 
suspicion  of  being  a  robber. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

PEOPLE    AND     GOVERNMENT. 

EXCEPT  Acarnania,  Etolia,  and  some  of  the  Cyclades,  I  had 
now  visited  all  parts  of  Modern  Greece,  and,  so  far  as  per 
sonal  observation  and  inquiry  might  accomplish  in  the  space 
of  four  months,  considered  myself  tolerably  familiar  with 
the  condition  of  the  country  and  its  inhabitants.  In  sum 
ming  up  my  impressions  and  throwing  them  together  in 
the  form  of  a  general  statement,  I  shall  endeavor  to  be  just, 
believing  myself  to  be  unprejudiced.  I  have  lately  looked 
over  several  recent  works  on  Greece,  and  have  been  sur 
prised  to  find  so  much  of  a  partisan  spirit  in  them — as  if 
the  position  and  character  of  Greece  and  the  Greeks  were 
a  question  to  be  debated  rather  than  a  picture  to  be  drawn. 
One  author  is  too  favorable,  another  too  severe,  and  I  fore 
see  that,  inasmuch  as  my  path  lies  between  the  two  ex 
tremes,  I  shall  be,  to  some  extent,  discredited  by  both 
sides. 

The  fact  is,  a  few  deeds  of  splendid  heroism  have  thrown 
a  deceitful  halo  over  the  darker  features  of  the  Greek  War 


262  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

of  Independence,  and  most  of  those  who  bend  in  reverence 
to  the  name  of  Marco  Bozzaris  do  not  know  that  his  uncle 
Nothi  stole  supplies  from  his  own  troops  to  sell  to  the 
Turks — that,  while  Canaris  and  Miaulis  were  brave  and  in 
corruptible,  Colocotroni  filled  his  purse  and  made  cowards 
of  his  men — that,  while  Karaiskakis  was  honorable,  others 
broke  the  most  solemn  oaths  of  their  religion,  and  murdered 
the  captives  they  had  sworn  to  spare.  One  can  say  that 
the  Greeks  are  what  the  Turks  made  them — that  we  should 
not  expect  to  find  in  slaves  the  virtues  of  freemen ;  but 
treachery  and  perjury  were  never  characteristics  of  the 
Moslem.  It  is  the  corrupt  leaven  of  the  Lower  Empire 
which  still  ferments  in  the  veins  of  this  mixed  race.  I  have 
already  said,  and  I  repeat  it,  that  not  one-fifth  of  the  pre 
sent  population  can  with  justice  be  called  Greeks.  The 
remainder  are  Slavonians,  Albanians,  and  Turks,  with  a 
slight  infusion  of  Venetian  blood.  Only  in  Maina,  on  the 
slopes  of  Parnassus  and  in  parts  of  Doris,  did  I  find  the 
ancient  type  in  any  considerable  amount.  In  the  war,  the 
Albanian  blood — the  Suliotes,  Hydriotes,  and  Spetziotes — 
achieved  the  greatest  distinction. 

Owing  to  this  admixture — when  not  always  of  race,  yet 
still  of  character  and  association — there  is  a  great  diversity 
in  the  nature  of  the  modern  Greeks,  and  their  number  is 
still  so  small  that  one  must  be  cautious  in  stating  general 
characteristics.  Some  features  of  the  ancient  race  are  still 
preserved :  they  are  vain,  talkative,  fond  of  argument,  and 
fond  of  display.  Their  appreciation  of  Art,  however,  has 
utterly  perished.  Most  of  them  profess  a  leaning  towards 
democratic  principles,  yet  they  are  pleased  as  children  at 


PEOPLE   AND    GOVERNMENT.  263 

the  tawdry  pomp  which  surrounds  a  throne.  They  are 
passionately  fond  of  gain,  yet,  with  the  most  elastic  tem 
perament  in  the  world,  dislike  manual  labor.  One  of  their 
best  general  traits  is  their  eagerness  to  learn,  but,  unfortu 
nately,  it  ceases  as  soon  as  they  are  capable  of  obtaining  an 
office  under  government.  Official  corruption  is  as  preva 
lent  in  Greece  as — as — as  in  the  United  States,  but  there  is 
not  the  same  means  of  preventing  it  in  the  former  country. 
There  is  not  an  honest  society  sufficiently  large  to  brand  the 
genteel  pickpockets,  and  so  the  great  bulk  of  the  popula 
tion  are  in  no  better  condition  than  the  Christian  subjects 
of  the  Sultan,  while  a  horde  of  leeches,  military,  naval,  and 
civil,  thrive  and  fatten  upon  them.  More  than  one  promi 
nent  man  in  Athens,  with  whom  I  conversed  on  the  state 
of  the  country,  said  to  me:  "We  want  more  people. 
What  can  we  do  with  a  million  of  inhabitants  ?"  Yet  at 
this  moment  numbers  of  Greeks  are  emigrating  from  Acar- 
nania  into  Turkey !  There  might  have  been,  long  ago,  a 
considerable  influx  of  German  emigrants,  yet  the  Govern 
ment  refused  to  permit  it. 

The  Greeks  have  three  leading  virtues,  which,  alone, 
form  a  basis  of  good  almost  sufficient  to  redeem  them. 
They  are  remarkably  chaste,  for  a  southern  race ;  they  are 
probably  the  most  temperate  people  in  the  world;  and 
they  are  most  unselfish  and  devoted  in  their  family  rela 
tions.  Their  vanity,  also,  while  it  retards  their  progress  in 
many  respects,  is  a  chord  which  may  nevertheless  be  touched 
to  their  advantage.  Being  very  sensitive  to  the  judgment 
pronounced  upon  them  by  others,  they  sometimes  become 
better  for  the  sake  of  being  thought  better.  Hence,  no- 


264  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

thing  injures  them  so  much  as  injudicious  praise.  I  know 
a  family  who  have  acted  on  this  principle  in  their  treat 
ment  of  servants,  and  their  confidence  has  never  been 
abused.  In  this  case,  however,  an  unfavorable  sentence 
would  have  been  a  lasting  misfortune,  and  the  incitement 
to  honesty  was  proportionately  greater.  Some  Greek  ser 
vants,  I  have  reason  to  know,  are  great  scamps,  and  the 
reputation  of  the  whole  class  is  none  of  the  best.  The 
honesty  of  the  country  Greeks,  I  think,  is  quite  up  to  the 
average  of  people  in  their  condition — in  fact,  I  am  not  sure 
that  they  do  not  deserve  credit  for  not  being  worse,  seeing 
that  the  most  outrageous  arts  of  cheating  are  taught  them 
by  those  above  them. 

For  instance,  the  agriculturist  is  not  taxed  by  assessment 
upon  the  value  of  his  property,  but  by  a  tithe  of  what  his 
land  produces.  The  abominable  Turkish  system  prevails, 
of  farming  out  the  entire  tithes  of  the  country  to  a  pack  of 
contractors,  who  pay  a  certain  sum  to  the  Government,  and 
then  make  the  most  of  their  bargain.  In  measuring  the 
grain,  the  law  requires  that  it  shall  be  poured  lightly  into 
the  measure,  and  the  top  scraped  off  level,  but  the  con 
tractors  are  in  the  habit  of  shaking  and  settling  it  repeatedly, 
and  then  heaping  the  measure.  This  is  only  one  example 
of  their  practices,  and  the  tithes  are  only  one  form  in  which 
the  people  are-  taxed.  Frequently  there  are  special  taxes 
levied  for  special  objects.  The  money  is  always  collected, 
and  that  is  the  last  of  it.  Even  the  sum  contributed  by 
Government  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  at  Corinth  melted 
away  in  passing  through  different  hands,  until  less  than  the 
half  of  it  reached  its  destination. 


PEOPLE   AND    GOVERNMENT.  265 

The  Greeks  are  patriotic  enough  in  principle-)  but  in 
practice  no  enemy  could  injure  Greece  more  than  they  do. 
There  is  not  one  who  does  not  see  the  abuses  under  which 
the  land  is  groaning,  but  I  have  yet  to  find  the  first  man 
actively  opposed  to  these  abuses.  One  hears  only  such 
laments  as  these :  "  What  can  we  do  with  such  narrow 
means  ?  We  are  not  responsible  for  our  condition.  The 
Great  Powers  took  away  from  us  Crete,  Chios,  Epirus,  and 
Thessaly,  to  which  we  were  justly  entitled,  and  which 
would  have  given  the  basis  for  a  strong  and  successful 
kingdom.  We  are  hopelessly  weak,  and  more  could  not  be 
expected  of  us."  But  when  I  have  said  in  reply :  "  If  you 
do  not  achieve  the  most  possible  with  the  resources  you 
have,  you  will  never  be  in  a  situation  to  command  greater 
resources.  You  talk  of  poverty,  yet  spend  more  upon  your 
Court,  proportionately,  than  any  country  in  Europe.  Your 
revenues  are  large  enough,  if  properly  applied,  not  only  to 
meet  all  really  necessary  expenditures,  but  to  open  means 
of  communication  for  the  want  of  which  the  industry  of 
your  country  languishes." — I  have  more  than  once  heard 
the  feeble  plea:  "Our  Court  must  be  suitably  kept  up. 
There  cannot  be  a  throne  without  a  large  expenditure. 
We  Greeks  are  democratic,  but  the  Great  Powers  gave  us 
a  throne,  and  since  we  have  accepted  it,  the  country  would 
be  disgraced  if  the  usual  accessories  of  a  throne  were 
wanting." 

The  Royal  Palace  at  Athens  cost  two  millions  of  dollars. 
For  this  sum  the  Greeks  have  an  immense,  ugly  pile  of 
Pentelican  marble,  as  large  as  Buckingham,  or  the  Residenz 
at  Berlin.  One  fourth  of  the  money  would  have  built  a 

12 


266  TRAVELS    IK    GKEECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

beautiful  structure,  proportioned  to  the  size  and  means  of 
the  country.  The  King  has  a  salary  of  one  million  of 
drachmas  ($166,666)  per  annum,  which,  to  his  credit,  he 
spends  in  and  about  Athens.  The  Court  alone  swallows  up 
about  one-twelfth  of  the  entire  revenues.  Then  there  is  a 
list  of  salaried  and  pensioned  officials — civil,  military,  and 
naval — such  as  no  country  in  Europe,  relatively,  exhibits. 
In  the  Navy  there  is  just  about  one  officer  to  every  two- 
and-a-half  men ;  in  the  Army,  which  numbers  9,000,  all 
told,  there  are  no  less  than  seventy  generals !  The  revenues 
of  the  country  amount  to  something  more  than  $3,000,000 
annually,  which,  for  a  population  of  1,000,000,  is  a  sum 
sufficient  not  only  for  the  machinery  of  Government,  but 
the  rapid  development  of  the  present  neglected  resources  ; 
yet  it  is  easy  to  see  how,  between  useless  expenditure  and 
official  venality,  the  whole  of  it  is  swallowed  up.  Norway, 
with  a  smaller  revenue  and  a  larger  population,  supports 
her  roads,  schools,  colleges,  steamship  lines,  army,  navy, 
and  police,  and  keeps  out  of  debt. 

The  absurd  jealousy  of  the  Greeks  tends  still  further  to 
retard  anything  like  Progress.  There  might  have  been  a 
large  immigration  of  German  farmers  to  the  uncultivated 
lands  of  the  Isthmus  and  Morea,  but  no!  the  pure  Hellenic 
stock  must  not  be  corrupted  by  foreign  grafts.  The  first 
thing  the  Legislative  Assembly  did,  after  Greece  received 
a  Constitution,  was  to  pass  a  law,  depriving  all  heteroch- 
thones  (Greeks  born  in  Crete,  Chios,  Constantinople,  or 
anywhere  outside  the  limits  of  the  present  kingdom)  of 
equal  civil  rights.  Yet  the  greatest  private  benefactors  of 
Greece — Arsakis,  Rhizari,  Sina,  and  others,  who  have 


PEOPLE   AND    GOVERNMENT.  267 

founded  or  supported  her  institutions  of  learning,  science, 
and  charity — are  heterochthones !  This  shameful  law  has 
since  been  repealed,  but  the  same  selfish  policy  prevails, 
and  instead  of  making  Greece  a  rallying  point  for  the  pride 
and  national  feeling  of  the  entire  Hellenic  race,  the  result 
has  been  to  alienate  its  scattered  fragments.  The  Greeks 
dream  of  a  restoration  of  the  Byzantine  Empire,  rather 
than  of  the  ancient  republics  or  confederacies.  They  are 
itching  to  grasp  Thessaly  and  Macedonia.  Constantinople, 
more  or  less  distant,  lies  in  the  plans  and  hopes  of  every 
Greek — and  they  will  never  get  it. 

Some  travellers  point  to  the  Constitution  of  Greece,  and 
by  enumerating  a  few  sounding  features,  such  as  suffrage, 
free  speech,  a  free  press,  religious  liberty,  education,  <fec., 
give  the  impression  that  the  Government  is  strongly  Demo 
cratic  in  its  character.  But  the  fact  is,  the  King  does 
not  understand  a  representative  government — he  does  not 
even  comprehend  its  first  principles ;  and  ever  since  he  was 
compelled  to  sign  away  a  portion  of  his  power,  at  the 
cannon's  mouth,  his  whole  study  has  been  to  recover  it 
again.  Thanks  to  the  facilities  afforded  him  by  the  Consti 
tution  itself,  he  has  succeeded.  The  Senate  is  not  only 
-named  by  the  King,  but  the  Nomarchs  also,  and  he  has  the 
right  of  choosing  the  Demarchs  out  of  the  three  candidates 
who  have  the  largest  vote.  One  of  these  three  is  sure  to 
be  in  the  interest  of  the  Court,  and  thus  the  whole  govern 
ment  of  the  country  is  thrown  back  into  his  own  hands. 
A  distinguished  citizen  of  Athens  once  said  to  me  :  "  It  is 
hopeless  to  expect  anything  like  a  just  and  decent  adminis 
tration  of  Government  under  the  present  system.  We 


268  TRAVELS   IX    GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

once,  here  in  Athens,  after  great  labor,  and  not  a  little 
intrigue,  succeeded  in  presenting  three  candidates  for  the 
Demarchy,  two  of  whom  were  just,  enlightened  men,  of 
our  own  party.  The  third  was  a  stupid  ass,  whom  we  .pre 
vailed  upon  the  Court  party  to  select,  believing  it  to  be 
morally  impossible  that  he  would  obtain  the  office.  But  it 
was  all  in  vain ;  the  King  appointed  the  ass."  During  my 
stay  in  Athens,  a  Court  favorite  was  appointed  to  the  chief 
rank  in  the  Navy,  over  the  head  of  the  venerable  Canaris, 
whose  name  will  be  remembered  as  long  as  the  world 
honors  a  deed  of  splendid  heroism.  The  true  old  man 
immediately  resigned,  and  sent  back  to  the  King  every 
order  or  token  of  honor  he  had  received  at  the  hands  of 
the  Government. 

It  is  a  wearisome  task  to  wade  through  the  long  list  of 
abuses,  which  are  kept  alive  by  the  indolence  and  apathy, 
no  less  than  the  corruption  of  the  Greeks,  nor  can  I  refer 
to  them  without  the  humiliating  consciousness  that  my 
Hellenic  friends  have  the  right  to  ask,  referring  to  our  own 
legislators:  "Are  you  without  sin,  that  you  should  cast 
stones  at  us?"  The  rapid  decline  of  political  morality  at 
home  (I  speak  without  reference  to  party)  makes  every 
honest  American  abroad  blush  with  shame  and  mortification. 

The  avidity  of  the  Greeks  for  learning  has  often  been 
referred  to,  and  justly,  as  one  of  their  most  hopeful  traits. 
It  is  general,  pervading  all  classes,  and  the  only  qualifica 
tion  to  be  made  with  regard  to  it  is  that  in  a  great  many 
instances  it  arises  from  the  desire  of  escaping  manual  labor, 
and  obtaining  the  consideration  which  place  under  govern 
ment  affords.  Hence  Greece  abounds  with  half-educated 


PEOPLE    AND    GOVERNMENT.  269 

men,  who  cease  their  studies,  satisfied,  at  a  certain  point. 
There  have  been  no  scholars  produced  since  the  Liberation 
equal  to  Coray,  or  ^Esopios,  who  still  lives.  The  Kleptic 
songs  are  still  the  best  poetry  of  Modern  Greece.  In  His 
tory  and  Law  something  has  been  done ;  in  Art,  nothing  at 
all.  Nevertheless,  this  thirst  for  education  promises  well, 
and  to  the  honor  of  the  Greeks  be  it  said  that  the  first 
thing  they  did  on  becoming  free  was  to  make  provision  for 
schools.  At  present  the  total  number  of  scholars  in  the 
kingdom  amounts  to  nearly  forty-five  thousand,  or  about 
one  in  twenty-four.  The  University  of  Athens  is  in  a  very 
flourishing  condition,  the  Arsakeion  (under  the  charge  of 
Madame  Mano,  a  sister  of  Alexander  Mavrocordato)  num 
bers  three  hundred  female  pupils,  and  the  well-known 
school  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill,  nearly  four  hundred.  There 
are  also  excellent  seminaries  at  Syra,  Patras,  Nauplia,  and 
other  places. 

No  persons  have  done  more  for  Free  Greece  than  our 
two  countrymen,  just  named,  and  few  things  pleased  me 
more  during  my  journeys  through  the  country  than  to 
notice  the  deep  and  abiding  gratitude  which  the  Greeks 
feel  for  them.  They  are  now  teaching  the  second  genera 
tion — the  children  of  those  they  taught  from  twenty  to  thirty 
years  ago.  I  had  every  opportunity  of  witnessing  the 
plan  and  operations  of  their  school,  and  I  know  of  no  insti 
tution  of  the  kind  which  is  doing  a  better  work.  I  have 
frequently  had  occasion  to  speak  of  the  inadequate  and 
unsatisfactory  results  of  American  Missions  in  foreign  lands 
— results  attributable,  in  many  instances,  to  an  excess  rather 
than  a  lack  of  zeal.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  have  confined  their 


270  TRAVELS    IN    GREECE    AND    RUSSIA. 

efforts  to  educating  for  Greece  a  body  of  virtuous,  refined, 
intelligent,  and  pious  women,  and  they  have  fully  succeeded. 
Proselytism  is  prohibited  by  the  laws  of  Greece,  and  they 
have  not  attempted  it.  They,  therefore,  enjoy  the  love 
and  confidence  of  the  whole  Greek  people,  and  continue  to 
plant  the  seeds  of  a  better,  purer,  more  enlightened  life, 
leaving  them  to  ripen  in  their  own  good  time,  and  as  God 
shall  direct.  Dr.  King,  who  has  been  American  Consul  for 
the  last  seven  years,  occupies  himself  principally  with  the 
conversion  of  the  Armenians.  He  has,  besides,  printed  a 
great  number  of  Greek  tracts  and  school  books,  some  of 
which  are  extensively  used  in  the  schools  of  the  country. 

The  principal  progress  which  Greece  has  made  since  her 
liberation,  has  been  in  her  commerce.  The  blue  cross  now 
floats,  not  only  in  every  port  in  the  Mediterranean  and 
Black  Seas,  but  in  most  of  the  ports  of  Europe.  The  trade 
carried  on  at  Constantinople  by  Greek  vessels  is  larger  than 
that  of  all  other  nations  combined.  Greek  houses  are  now 
common,  not  only  in  Trieste,  Vienna,  Marseilles,  London, 
Pans,  and  Manchester,  but  are  also  springing  up  in  the 
United  States.  In  spite  of  what  has  been  said  concerning 
the  commercial  dishonesty  of  the  Greek  merchants  in  the 
Orient,  those  who  settle  in  the  Occident  bear,  generally,  as 
good  a  character  as  their  Frank  brethren.  The  race  has  a 
natural  aptitude  for  trade,  and  upon  this  feature  one  might 
also  build  a  hope  for  the  future  of  Greece.  But  what  that 
future  will  be,  we  cannot  even  conjecture.  I  do  not  yet 
believe  that  the  Hellenic  race  will  regenerate  the  Orient. 
A  Grecian  Empire,  with  Constantinople  for  its  capital,  is  as 
far  off  as  the  moon.  Whether  the  present  kingdom  will 


PEOPLE   AND    GOVERNMENT.  271 

continue  to  drag  along  a  weak  existence  as  a  petty  inde 
pendent  power,  or  whether  it  will  ultimately  become  the 
limb  of  a  more  powerful  body,  is  a  matter  upon  which  I 
shall  not  speculate.  It  is  significant,  however,  that  until 
quite  recently,  the  political  factions  in  Greece  bore  the 
name  of  the  English,  Russian,  and  French  parties.  Of 
these  three,  the  Russian  naturally  was  the  strongest. 

As  the  King  and  Queen  are  childless,  the  people  are  in 
great  uncertainty  as  to  their  future  ruler.  According  to 
the  Constitution,  the  next  monarch  must  belong  to  the 
National  Church.  Prince  Luitpold  of  Bavaria,  Otho's 
brother,  has  renounced  his  right  of  succession  rather  than 
change  his  religion.  Adalbert,  the  youngest  brother,  is 
willing  to  comply,  after  he  has  possession  of  the  throne — 
not  before.  But  the  son  of  Luitpold  has  a  prior  claim,  and, 
in  addition,  the  Queen  is  intriguing  with  might  and  main 
to  make  capital  for  her  brother,  the  Protestant  Prince  of 
Oldenburg.  In  all  these  nice  little  plans  and  counter- 
plans,  Greece  is  the  last  thing  thought  of.  The  Queen  is 
thoroughly  selfish,  but  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  she  is 
popular,  and  possesses  considerable  influence.  The  King 
is  a  truly  amiable  man,  and  I  believe  desires  to  do  what  he 
can  for  the  good  of  Greece  ;  but  so  long  as  he  lives,  he  will 
never  realize  her  actual  condition  and  necessities.  The  best 
men  of  Greece  at  present — Mavrocordato,  Psyllas,  Argyro- 
poulos,  and  Kalerges — are  not  in  a  position  to  make  their 
influence  felt  as  it  deserves,  and  so  the  country  goes  on  in  a 
blind  way,  heedless  of  the  Future  so  long  as  it  can  bear 
the  weight  of  the  Present  without  breaking  down. 

I  write  these  things  in  sorrow,  and  wish  that  my  impres- 


272  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

sions  were  of  a  more  cheering  character.  I  should  hail  the 
success  of  Greece  with  as  sincere  a  joy  as  any  of  her  citi 
zens  ;  I  should  be  glad  to  know  that  more  of  the  ancient 
blood  and  the  ancient  genius  was  still  extant — but  I  must 
not  give  the  reader  what  I  cannot  find.  Is  there  really  no 
resurrection  of  a  dead  nation?  No  enduring  vitality  in 
those  qualities  of  the  old  race,  which  triumphed  for  a  thou 
sand  years  ?  Cannot  those  "  arts  of  war  and  peace  "  which 
sprang  from  Greece  and  the  Grecian  Isles  flourish  again  in 
the  arms  of  a  purer  religion  and  a  more  enlightened  law  ? 
The  answer  may  be  given  a  century  hence,  but  not  now. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

AGRICULTURE     AND     RESOURCES. 

BEFORE  returning  to  the  North,  a  few  words  must  be  said 
in  regard  to  Greece  as  &  productive  country,  a  subject  con 
cerning  which  the  reader  has  doubtless  heard  very  contrary 
opinions.  The  Greeks  themselves  are  so  much  in  the  habit 
of  saying,  "  We  have  a  poor  country,"  that  the  flying  tour 
ist,  who  stops  four  days  at  Athens  on  his  way  to  Egypt  and 
Palestine,  and  who  sees  only  the  bald  sides  of  Hymettus  and 
Pentelicus,  and  the  dry  plain  of  Attica,  imagines  the  whole 
country  to  be  barren,  desolate,  cursed — as  it  is  customary 
to  represent  Judea.  With  the  exception  of  Acarnania, 
Etolia,  and  parts  of  Euboea,  it  does  indeed  greatly  lack 
water,  but  its  soil  is  probably  as  productive,  in  other 
respects,  as  that  of  any  country  of  Europe.  The  valleys  are 
a  fine  mellow  loam,  which  produces  excellent  crops  of 
wheat,  rye,  and  barley,  although  the  system  of  agriculture 
is  Homeric  in  its  simplicity  and  rudeness.  The  lower  slopes 
of  the  mountains,  where  they  have  been  reclaimed,  or  have 
escaped  the  devastation  of  war,  produce  vines,  as  in  Mis- 


274  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

solonghi,  forests,  as  in  Eubcea,  or  grain,  as  in  Maina,  while 
the  sides  of  Parnassus,  Taygetus,  and  Erymanthus  are 
covered,  up  to  the  elevation  of  6,000  feet,  with  woods  of 
oak,  fir,  and  pine. 

But  one  thing  fails,  without  which  the  Garden  of  Eden 
itself  would  be  poor — the  means  of  transporting  produce  to 
a  market.  All  the  roads  in  the  Peloponnesus,  with  the 
exception  of  that  from  Nauplia  to  Tripolitza,  are  the 
roughest  possible  bridle-paths,  crossed  in  many  places  by 
mountain  torrents,  which  frequently  interrupt  the  commu 
nication  for  days.  In  fact,  one  can  hardly  say  that  there 
are  any  roads  at  all  in  spring,  when  the  plow  obliterates 
all  trace  of  the  previous  trail.  In  Northern  Greece  there 
is  but  one,  from  Athens  to  Thebes,  which  is  now  impassa 
ble,  owing  to  fifty  yards  of  it  having  been  washed  away  in 
the  pass  of  CEnoe,  about  six  months  before  my  visit.  From 
Thebes  to  Livadia  there  is  a  bridle-track  over  the  Boeotian 
plain,  which  is  a  quagmire  when  it  rains.  Formerly  much 
barley  w^as  raised  about  Livadia,  but  the  cost  of  transport 
ing  it  to  Athens  upon  asses  was  found  to  be  just  three- 
fourths  of  the  value  of  what  the  ass  carried,  so  that,  unless 
the  trader  succeeded  in  doing  a  little  highway  robbery  on 
h'is  way  back,  he  lost  money  by  the  trip.  The  peasantry 
around  Athens  now  use  carts,  and  with  the  present  high 
prices,  succeed  in  driving  a  very  good  business.  The 
Government  is  at  last  making  an  effort  to  do  something  in 
the  way  of  remedying  this  evil.  We  hear  of  roads  to 
Chalcis,  to  Corinth,  and  other  places.  An  engineer  has 
been  imported  from  France  at  a  salary  of  22,000  francs  a 
year,  notwithstanding  there  is  an  abundance  of  Greek 


AGRICULTURE   AND   RESOURCES.  275 

engineers  idle.  A  large  sum  has  been  raised  by  special 
taxation,  but  all  that  has  yet  been  accomplished  is  the 
grading  of  a  few  streets  in  Athens.  But — "  Do  not  expect 
too  much  of  us,"  say  the  Greeks. 

A  German  botanist  (Fraas,  I  think)  has  given  a  very 
decided  opinion  that  the  lost  forests  of  Greece  can  never  be 
restored,  and  that  the  land  must  consequently  remain  dry 
and  barren.  From  this  decision  I  must  wholly  dissent.  All 
Greece,  it  is  true,  rests  on  a  bed  of  blue  limestone,  which 
refines  into  marble  here  and  there,  and  the  hills  which  have 
been  disforested  are  as  bare  and  dry  as  the  mountains  of 
Moab.  Hymettus  appears  to  be  hopelessly  naked,  and 
even  Parnes  hides  his  few  remaining  pines  in  the  depth  of 
his  savage  gorges.  Yet  the  least  encouragement  would 
reclothe  even  this  sterility.  An  example  of  what  simply 
letting  the  mountains  alone  will  do,  is  seen  at  the  pass  of 
CEnoe,  between  Cithaeron  and  Parnes.  Here  the  peasants 
have  been  prevented,  for  a  few  years  past,  from  touching 
the  young  pines,  and  the  heights  are  covered  green  and 
thick,  up  to  the  very  summit.  As  for  forest  culture,  such 
as  is  carried  on  with  so  much  success  in  Germany,  it  is 
unheard  of.  It  is  true,  Inspectors,  Foresters,  &c.,  have 
been  appointed,  and  some  200,000  drachmas  of  the  revenue 
go  in  this  way,  but  the  only  thing  they  do  is  to  make  the 
peasants  pay  for  tapping  pine-trees  for  resin,  instead  of 
taking  it  for  nothing.  If  a  Greek  mountaineer  wants  a  lit. 
tie  wood  for  his  fire,  he  cuts  down  twenty  thriving  saplings 
rather  than  fatigue  himself  by  felling  a  full-grown  tree. 
Euboea,  which  was  once  a  land  of  splendid  forests,  abound 
ing  with  deer,  is  rapidly  becoming  denuded,  and  the  moun- 


276  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND   KUSSIA. 

tain  valleys,  once  plentifully  and  regularly  watered,  are 
now  subject  to  alternate  freshets  and  drouths. 

Wood  was  sold  in  Athens  during  the  winter  of  1857-8, 
at  the  rate  of  a  cent  a  pound,  while  the  grand  oak  woods 
of  Doris  and  Elis  are  lying  full  of  rotting  trunks.  All  over 
the  country  one  sees  noble  trees  wantonly  girdled,  even  in 
the  midst  of  forests,  where  they  are  never  felled.  It  would 
seem  that  the  people  took  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  the  act  of 
destruction.  A  large  landowner  in  Eubcea  informed  me 
that  while  superintending  the  cutting  of  pines  in  his  woods, 
he  directed  the  workmen  to  be  very  careful  and  fell  the 
trees  in  such  a  direction  as  to  injure  the  saplings  under 
them  as  little  as  possible.  The  people  laughed  outright, 
and  almost  told  him  to  his  face  that  he  was  a  fool.  The 
saplings,  they  said,  were  little  things,  worth  nothing 
except  to  burn,  and  it  would  be  no  harm  to  destroy  them 
all.  Where  the  forests  have  only  been  partially  spared, 
there  are  fountains  and  running  streams  the  whole  year 
through.  The  Alpheus  and  the  Eurotas,  fed  by  the  oak- 
covered  hills  of  Arcadia,  flow  through  summer  heats,  but 
in  naked  Attica  the  Cephissus  and  the  Ilissus  perish  even 
before  they  reach  the  sea. 

Agriculture,  as  I  have  said,  is  in  the  most  imperfect  state. 
I  find,  on  repeated  inquiry,  that  fifteen  fold — that  is,  fifteen 
bushels  reaped  for  one  sown — is  considered  a  large  crop, 
and  that  the  general  average  cannot  be  considered  higher 
than  eight  fold.  The  soil  is  not  manured,  but  relieved  a 
little  by  a  rotation  of  crops.  It  is  scratched  up  to  the 
dep^h  of  three  or  four  inches  with  an  antediluvian  plow, 
and  then  crosswise  again,  so  that  the  soil  is  cut  in  small 


AGEICULTUKE   AND   KESOUKCES.  277 

cubes  or  dice.  Then  the  farmer  sits  down  and  folds  his 
hands,  waiting  for  a  rain  that  shall  dissolve  and  break  up 
these  cubes,  so  that  he  can  sow  his  grain.  Sometimes  a 
freshet  comes  in  the  meanwhile  and  carries  them  all  off 
before  they  have  had  time  to  dissolve,  leaving  only  the 
hieroglyphics  made  by  the  point  of  the  plowshare  in  the 
hard  surface  below. 

The  other  staple  productions  of  Greece — oil,  silk,  cur 
rants,  and  wine — are  more  easily  managed,  and  hence  the 
yield  from  them  is  greater.  The  vines  are  pruned  in  the 
spring,  the  earth  is  dug  up,  raised  into  heaps  between  the 
stalks,  and  finely  pulverized,  and  they  are  then  left  to  their 
fate.  Olive  and  mulberry  trees  are  planted,  and  that  is  all. 
The  produce  both  of  silk  and  currants  is  slowly  but  steadily 
increasing,  and  the  number  of  olive  trees,  which  in  1833 
was  700,000,  now  amounts  to  2,400,000.  Yet  in  spite  of 
this  apparent  growth,  the  country  is  poorer  now  than  it 
was  under  the  Turkish  domination.  The  little  Province  of 
Achaia  alone  yielded  to  the  Latin  princes,  during  the  Mid 
dle  Ages,  a  greater  revenue  than  the  whole  kingdom  of 
Greece  at  present.  The  fact  is,  the  country  is  poor,  only 
because  the  development  of  its  resources  has  been  most 
shamefully  neglected. 

A  circumstance  which  more  than  anything  else,  perhaps, 
retards  this  development,  is  the  religious  indolence  of  the 
Greek  farmers.  A  creed  which  turns  one  half  the  days 
of  the  year  into  saintly  anniversaries,  on  which  it  is  sinful 
to  do  any  manner  of  work,  would  ruin  any  country  in  the 
world.  In  addition  to  these  saints'  days,  there  are  four 
grand  fasts,  and  a  number  of  smaller  ones,  amounting,  in 


278  TEAVELS   IN   GEEECE   AND   EUSSIA. 

all,  to  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  days,  or  Jive  months. 
These  are  most  rigidly  kept,  and  though  the  temperate 
Greek  satisfies  his  hunger  with  bread,  olives,  and  onions, 
his  capacity  for  labor  is  seriously  affected.  To  crown  his 
shortcomings  as  an  agriculturist,  add  his  egregious  vanity, 
which  prevents  him  from  suspecting  that  there  is  any 
knowledge  in  the  world  superior  to  his  own.  An  English 
gentleman,  long  settled  in  Greece,  assured  me  that  he  found 
it  almost  impossible  to  teach  his  workmen,  owing  to  this 
trait  of  character.  Whenever  he  directed  anything  to  be 
done,  instead  of  being  obeyed,  he  always  received  instruc 
tions  from  them  as  to  how  it  might  be  better  done.  After 
twenty-four  years'  experience,  he  was  almost  ready  to 
despair  of  their  improvement. 

I  ibund  the  country  Greeks  generally  honest.  We  met 
with  two  or  three  instances  of  downright  imposition,  but 
this  might  occur  in  any  country — except  in  the  northern 
and  western  provinces  of  Sweden.  Those  who  have  the 
worst  reputation  are  the  most  friendly  and  agreeable. 
The  Mainote  robbers,  as  they  are  called,  the  Delphians, 
and  the  Dorians,  are  hearty,  cheerful,  hospitable  people, 
and  I  shall  long  remember  them  with  pleasure.  The  timid 
traveller  need  no  longer  hesitate  to  visit  Greece,  from  a 
vision  of  fierce  palikars  levelling  their  long  guns  at  him  in 
the  mountain  passes.  Northern  Greece  has  long  been  over 
run  by  a  band  of  robbers  under  the  command  of  the  chief, 
Kalabaliki,  but  just  before  we  left  Athens  himself  and  the 
greater  part  of  his  men  were  shot  by  the  Government 
troops,  near  Thebes.  With  the  death  of  Kalabaliki  bri 
gandage  is  almost  suppressed  in  Greece.  From  1854  to 


AGRICULTURE   AND   RESOURCES.  279 

1858  the  number  of  robbers  shot  or  executed  was  493  !  I 
must  state,  however,  on  the  authority  of  the  Minister  of 
War,  that  only  twenty  of  the  whole  number  were  born 
within  the  limits  of  the  kingdom. 

Besides  her  neglected  fields  and  forests,  Greece  has  also 
neglected  mines.  There  is  the  material  for  a  hundred  Par- 
thenons  yet  in  Pentelicus ;  the  white,  waxy  marble  of 
Naxos  and  Paros ;  precious  verde  antique  and  rouge  an 
tique  in  Taygetus  :  coal  in  Eubcea,  sulphur  on  the  Isthmus, 
and  emery  in  Naxos.  It  is  said  that  the  treasures  of  Paros 
are  to  be  exploited,  but  of  the  other  mineral  productions, 
sulphur  and  emery,  only,  are  quarried  to  a  limited  extent. 
Agriculture,  however,  should  be  the  first  care  of  a  nation, 
and  until  Greece  has  roads  for  the  transportation  of  her 
corn,  wine,  and  oil,  she  will  scarcely  be  able  to  make  her 
quarries  available.  I  have  not  yet  heard  of  any  geological 
survey  of  the  country,  but  I  know  an  intelligent  young 
officer  who  spent  eighteen  months,  by  the  order  and  at  the 
expense  of  the  Government,  in  making  a  secret  military 
reconnoissance  of  Turkey !  Offer  a  plan  for  the  irrigation 
of  the  Cephissian  plain,  and  you  will  be  politely  snubbed. 
Offer  another  of  the  fortifications  of  Constantinople,  and 
you  will  be  well  paid. 


Enough  of  dry  statement.  Let  me  not  lose  the  pensive 
sweetness  and  sadness  of  this  last  evening  in  Athens.  The 
sun  is  sinking  in  clear  saffron  light  beyond  the  pass  of 
Daphne,  and  a  purple  flush  plays  all  along  the  high,  barren 


280  TEAVELS   IN   GEEECE   AND   EUSSIA. 

sides  of  Hymettus.  Before  me  rises  the  Acropolis,  with  its 
crown  of  beauty,  the  Parthenon,  on  whose  snowy  front  the 
sunsets  of  two  thousand  years  have  left  their  golden  stain. 
In  the  distance  is  the  musical  ^Egean,  dancing  with  light- 
whispering  waves  to  fill  the  rock-hewn  sarcophagus  of 
Themistocles.  Plato's  olives  send  a  silver  glimmer  through 
the  dusk  that  is  creeping  over  the  Attic  plain.  Many  an 
evening  have  I  contemplated  this  illustrious  landscape,  but 
it  was  never  so  lovely  as  now,  when  I  look  upon  it  for  the 
last  time.  Every  melodious  wave  in  the  long  outline  of  the 
immortal  mountains — every  scarred  marble  in  the  august 
piles  of  ruin — every  blood-red  anemone  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ilissus,  and  every  asphodel  that  blossoms  on  the  hill  of 
Colonos — I  know  them  and  they  know  me.  Not  as  a 
curious  stranger  do  I  leave  Athens  ;  not  as  a  traveller  eager 
for  new  scenes ;  but  with  the  regret  of  one  who  knows  and 
loves  the  sacred  soil,  to  whom  it  has  been  at  once  a  sanc 
tuary  and  a  home. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

RETURN     TO     THE     NORTH. 

WE  went  direct  from  Athens  to  Constantinople  in  the 
French  steamer  Meandre.  The  voyage  was  a  repetition  of 
the  two  which  I  have  described  years  ago,  and  I  shall  make 
no  further  note  of  it  than  to  advise  all  my  friends  and 
readers  who  may  visit  the  Orient  to  choose  the  steamers  of 
the  French  Messageries  in  every  possible  case,  rather  than 
those  of  the  Austrian  Lloyd.  Over  the  unrippled  ^Egean 
our  trip  was  a  luxurious  one,  and  though  we  missed  Sunium 
and  saw  the  Trojan  Ida  by  twilight,  we  steamed  around 
Seraglio  Point  and  into  the  Golden  Horn  in  the  full  blaze 
of  noon — a  piece  of  real  good  fortune  to  those  who  see 
Constantinople  for  the  first  time.  In  this  category  were 
seven  Americans  on  board  the  steamer. 

I  noticed  but  three  changes  in  Constantinople  since  I  first 
saw  it,  in  1852 — to  wit:  Pera  is  lighted  with  gas,  the 
hotels  have  raised  their  prices  five  francs  a  day,  and  the 
dogs  of  Stamboul  no  longer  bark  at  Giaours.  In  all  other 
respects,  it  is  the  same  medley  of  unparalleled  external 


282  TRAVELS   IX   GREECE   AND   RUSSIA. 

splendor  and  internal  filth,  imperfect  Europe  and  shabby 
Asia.  The  last  change  of  the  three  is  undoubtedly  due  to 
the  wholesome  training  given  to  the  dogs  aforesaid  by  the 
soldiers  of  the  allied  armies.  It  is  an  astonishing  fact  that 
dogs  of  the  most  orthodox  Moslem  breed  now  tolerate  the 
presence  of  the  Frank,  without  a  snarl.  Moreover,  St. 
Sophia,  then  accessible  only  through  the  all-potent  seal  of 
the  Grand  Vizier,  now  sees  its  doors  turn  on  their  holy 
hinges  for  an  every-day  bribe.  Even  at  the  mosque  of 
Eyoub,  standard-bearer  of  Mahmoud  II.,  I  was  refused 
admission  only  because  it  was  Ramazan.  There  is  a  Turk 
ish  theatre  in  Pera,  Turkish  plays  (adapted  from  the  Italian) 
are  acted  by  Turkish  actors,  and — oh,  shade  of  the  Prophet ! 
— Turkish  women  appear  unveiled  upon  the  stage.  This, 
however,  does  not  signify  much.  Polygamy  and  the  seclu 
sion  of  women  are  a  part  of  the  Moslem  religion,  and  with 
that  religion  dies  the  prestige  of  the  race.  The  fraterniza 
tion  of  Turkey  with  the  Western  Powers  has  forced  her 
to  relinquish  a  few  antiquated  prejudices — and  that  is  all. 

The  grand  fete  of  the  Night  of  Predestination  took  place 
two  days  after  our  arrival,  and,  with  the  recollection  of  its 
magical  illuminations  six  years  before,  fresh  in  my  mind,  I 
promised  my  companions  a  spectacle  such  as  they  had  never 
yet  witnessed ;  but  it  turned  out  to  be  a  comparative 
failure.  The  Turkish  Government  has  wisely  grown  econo 
mical.  The  far-echoing  thunders  of  a  thousand  cannon, 
booming  up  and  down  the  length  of  the  Bosphorus,  were 
wanting ;  and  though  we  floated  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd 
of  caiques  in  the  Golden  Horn,  the  waters  were  dark  under 
neath  us,  and  the  sky  dark  above — not  lighted  to  red  trans- 


EETUEN   TO   THE   NORTH.  283 

parency,  as  I  once  saw  them,  with  the  minarets  blazing  like 
fiery  lances  around  the  fiery  helmets  of  the  domes. 

We  had  rather  an  adventurous  trip  to  the  Sweet  Waters 
of  Europe.  The  wind  was  blowing  strongly  from  the  west, 
but  I  took  a  four-oared  caique,  and  after  passing  Cassim 
Pasha,  where  we  were  most  exposed  to  its  force,  supposed 
that  we  should  get  on  without  further  trouble.  But  on 
turning  northward  into  the  valley  of  the  Sweet  Waters,  it 
came  on  a  perfect  hurricane.  We  could  scarcely  breathe, 
and  the  boatmen  tried  in  vain  to  manage  our  egg-shell  of  a 
craft.  We  drove  first  upon  a  marshy  island ;  then  upon 
the  shore ;  then  down  stream ;  then  against  a  pier ;  and 
finally  striking  upon  a  rock,  the  caique  began  to  fill.  We 
were  in  the  edge  of  a  swamp ;  Braisted  and  I  lifted  the 
lady  out  into  the  reeds,  and  we  made  the  best  of  our  way 
to  firm  land.  All  landmarks  were  lost  in  a  cloud  of  dust ; 
the  tempest  blew  with  such  force  that  it  was  barely  possi 
ble  to  stand ;  and  when  we  at  last  wore  round  so  as  to  scud 
before  the  wind,  we  were  almost  taken  off  our  feet.  After 
much  search  and  the  payment  of  a  pound  sterling,  I  pro 
cured  a  jolting  Turkish  araba  to  take  us  back  to  Pera,  but 
on  crossing  the  brow  of  the  hill  above  the  Sweet  Waters, 
we  were  several  times  on  the  point  of  being  overturned  by 
the  blast. 

The  steamer  in  which  we  took  passage  to  Galatz  proved 
to  be  our  old  friend  the  Miramar,  with  her  gallant 
captain,  Mazarevitch.  We  had  soft  spring  sunshine  for 
the  glorious  panorama  of  the  Bosphorus,  but  the  day 
became  partially  obscured  as  we  entered  the  Black  Sea,  and 
about  five  in  the  afternoon,  the  sky  being  clear  only  to  the 


284  TRAVELS   IN   GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

northward,  a  most  singular  mirage  arose  in  that  direction. 
Vessels  were  seen  suspended  in  the  air,  about  two  degrees 
above  the  horizon,  with  inverted  images  below  them. 
Beyond  them  ran  a  long  line  of  low  coast,  which  in  the 
north-east  rose  into  hills,  covered  with  patches  of  dark  fir- 
trees.  There  was  no  land  nearer  than  the  Crimea  in  that 
direction,  and  it  was  about  180  miles  distant.  What,  then, 
were  these  shores  ?  They  were  no  mere  optical  delusion, 
for  through  a  strong  glass  the  outlines  appeared  very  dis 
tinct  even  to  the  projecting  buttresses  and  receding  gulf  of 
the  hills.  I  came  to  the  conclusion,  therefore,  that  it  was 
actually  the  mountain-shore  of  the  Crimea  which  I  beheld, 
almost  from  the  mouth  of  the  Bosphorus.  The  wind  was 
blowing  cold  from  the  north-west  at  the  time,  with  dull 
clouds  overhead,  but  the  phantom  picture  was  lighted  with 
strong  sunshine,  and  the  sails  of  the  vessels  appeared  to 
hang  almost  motionless. 

After  two  disagreeable  nights  and  one  disagreeable  day, 
we  reached  the  Sulina  mouth  of  the  Danube.  The  river 
makes  his  muddy  presence  known  far  off  shore,  like  the 
Mississippi,  the  Ganges,  and  the  Yang-tze-Kiang.  The 
land  is  as  flat  as  a  pancake,  and  Sulina,  which  consists  of  a 
light-house  and  a  long  row  of  wooden  buildings  on  piles, 
resembles  the  skeleton  of  a  town  deposited  there  by  some 
freshet.  You  exchange  the  green  plain  of  the  sea  for  the 
green  plain  of  the  Dobrudja  marshes,  through  which  the 
Danube  winds  like  a  brown  vein.  Much  was  said  about 
the  improvements  for  navigation  at  Sulina,  in  the  Paris 
Conferences,  but  the  most  I  could  discover  was  a  long  line 
of  posts  to  which  vessels  were  moored,  and  which  may  be 


BETUEN   TO   THE   NORTH.  285 

the  forerunner  of  a  wharf.  We  passed  through  a  street  of 
vessels  nearly  three  miles  long,  touching  each  other  stem 
and  stern,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  then  pursued  our 
winding  way  towards  Galatz,  comparatively  alone.  By  and 
"by,  however,  the  hills  of  the  Dobrudja  arose  in  the  south 
west,  and  the  monotonous  level  of  the  swamps  was  broken 
by  belts  of  trees.  Vegetation  appeared  to  be  fully  as  far 
advanced  as  at  Constantinople,  although  we  were  nearly 
five  degrees  further  north. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  passed  the  southern  or  St.  George's 
arm  of  the  Danube,  which  is  now  so  closed  up  by  a  bar  at 
its  mouth  as  to  be  useless.  The  northern  or  Kilia  arm 
enters  a  short  distance  higher  up,  and  looking  towards  it  at 
sunset,  over  the  great  levels,  we  saw  the  fortress-town  of 
Ismail,  built  upon  its  northern  bank.  This  was  the  famous 
citadel  of  the  Turks,  which  fell  before  Suwarrow,  after  one 
of  the  bloodiest  assaults  recorded  in  history.  We  anchored 
for  some  hours  during  the  night,  but  early  the  next  morn 
ing  were  at  Galatz,  in  Moldavia. 

I  cannot  say  much  about  this  place,  for  we  only  remained 
long  enough  to  exchange  our  Black  Sea  steamer  for  the 
river-boat  of  the  Danube  Company.  It  is  a  dull,  common 
place  town,  built  over  the  slope  of  a  long,  barren  hill. 
Some  travellers,  who  had  been  there  several  days,  had 
nothing  whatever  to  tell  me  about  it.  We  were  much 
more  interested  in  our  new  steamer,  which  was  built  on  the 
American  plan,  and  very  handsomely  furnished.  But — 
down  with  all  monopolies  !  say  I.  Although  the  fare  from 
Constantinople  to  Pesth — a  voyage  of  seven  days — is  $70, 
this  does  not  include  a  state-room  on  the  river-boats,  for 


286  TRAVELS   IN    GREECE   AND    RUSSIA. 

which  $52  additional  is  demanded!  Nevertheless,  I  had 
taken  the  precaution  to  telegraph  from  Constantinople  to 
Galatz  to  secure  a  room.  A  single  message  costs  twenty 
francs,  yet  when  we  reached  Galatz,  six  days  afterwards, 
the  message  had  not  arrived.  The  nearest  approach  to  this 
which  I  ever  experienced  was  in  Ohio,  where  a  message 
which  I  sent  was  three  days  and  a  half  in  going  two  hun 
dred  miles.  The  engineer  of  the  boat  kindly  offered  to  give 
me  his  cabin,  containing  one  berth,  for  $50,  but  we  preferred 
using  the  common  cabins,  which  were  as  badly  ventilated 
as  on  the  American  boats.  These  Danube  steamers,  how 
ever,  were  very  swift,  kept  in  admirable  order,  and  the 
fare  (what  little  there  was  of  it)  was  unexceptionable. 

From  Galatz  to  the  Iron  Gates,  in  ascending  the  Danube, 
you  have  two  days  of  monotonous  scenery.  On  one  side 
the  low  hills  of  Turkey,  heavy,  ungraceful  ridges,  gene 
rally  barren  of  wood,  and  on  the  other  the  interminable 
plains  of  Wallachia.  Except  Giurgevo,  the  port  of  Bucha 
rest,  there  are  no  towns  on  the  northern  shore,  but  on  the 
southern  you  pass,  in  succession,  Rustchuk,  Silistria,  Nico- 
polis  and  Widin,  besides  a  great  number  of  shabby,  red- 
roofed  villages,  nestled  in  the  elbows  of  the  hills.  Immense 
herds  of  horses  graze  on  the  meadows  ;  rough  Wallachian 
boors  in  wide  trowsers  and  low  black  hats  lounge  about 
their  huts,  which  are  raised  on  high  piles  out  of  thvi  reach 
of  freshets;  guard-houses  at  regular  intervals  stud  the 
bank,  and  three  slovenly  gray  soldiers  present  arms  as 
we  pass ;  coal-barges  and  flat-boats  descend  the  river  in 
long  black  lines,  and  ah1  these  pictures,  repeated  over  and 
over  again,  at  last  weary  the  eye.  We  passed  Silistria  at 


BETUBX   TO   THE   NOETH.  287 

dusk,  and  I  saw  only  an  indistinct  silhouette  of  its  famous 
fort.  But  the  scars  of  battle  vanish  soon  from  the  earth, 
and  Silistria  is  as  quiet  and  orderly  now  as  if  it  had  not 
heard  a  cannon  for  a  thousand  years. 

At  Gladowa,  we  entered  the  celebrated  Iron  Gates, 
where  a  spur  of  the  Transylvanian  Alps,  running  south- 
westward  through  Servia  to  join  the  central  mountain  chain 
of  Turkey,  attempts  to  barricade  the  Danube.  But,  like 
the  Rhine  at  Bingen,  and  the  Potomac  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
he  has  cut  with  his  crystal  sword  the  Gordian  labyrinth 
he  could  not  thread,  and  roars  in  a  series  of  triumphant 
rapids  through  the  heart  of  the  terrible  hills.  Covered 
with  forests  of  oak,  beech,  larch  and  pine,  the  mountains 
tower  grandly  on  either  hand,  while  through  the  inter 
locking  bases  the  river  descends  in  watery  planes,  whose 
slant  can  be  readily  measured  by  the  eye.  The  rocks 
have  been  blasted  so  as  to  afford  a  channel  for  the  steamer, 
which  trembles  in  every  timber  as  she  stems  the  foamy 
tangle  of  chutes  and  whirlpools.  Let  one  of  her  iron  mus 
cles  give  way,  and  the  river  would  have  his  will.  A  mile 
and  a  half  of  slow,  trembling,  exciting  progress,  and  we 
have  mounted  the.  heaviest  grade,  but  six  hours  of  the  same 
tremendous  scenery  await  us.  We  pierce  yet  sublimer 
solitudes,  and  look  on  pictures  of  precipice  and  piled  rock, 
of  cavern  and  yawning  gorge,  and  mountain  walls,  almost 
shutting  out  the  day,  such  as  no  other  river  in  Europe  can 
show. 

At  Orsova,  the  northern  bank  becomes  Austrian,  and  we 
were  ushered  into  the  Empire  with  the  usual  suavity.  I 
must  confess  that  much  as  I  detest  the  Austrian  Govern- 


288  TRAVELS   IN    GREECE   AND   KUSSIA. 

ment,  there  are  few  countries  in  Europe  where  a  traveller 
meets  with  so  little  annoyance  and  so  much  courtesy.  All 
day  long,  we  sat  on  the  hurricane  deck,  enjoying  the 
superb  scenery,  but  towards  evening  the  mountains  drop 
ped  into  hills,  and  the  hills  on  the  northern  bank  flattened 
out  into  the  great  plain  of  Hungary.  We  passed  Belgrade 
during  the  night^and  early  next  morning  were  at  Peter- 
wardein,  a  fortress  in  southern  Hungary.  The  contrast 
between  Turk  and  German  (or  the  races  under  German 
rule)  was  as  surprising  as  it  was  welcome.  I  had  not  ex 
pected  to  see,  here  in  the  Banat,  on  the  borders  of  Servia, 
so  sudden  a  line  drawn  between  the  indolence,  filth,  and 
discomfort  of  the  Orient,  and  the  order,  neatness,  industry 
and  progress  of  the  Occident. 

One  sees  very  little  of  Hungary  from  the  deck  of  a 
Danube  steamer — of  its  soil,  only  pasture  meadows  ;  of  its 
people,  only  herdsmen  in  wide  trowsers  (resembling  a 
petticoat  sewed  up  the  middle),  and  boatmen  loafing  on 
the  slow  barges.  So  I  shall  only  say  that  on  the  fourth 
morning  after  leaving  Galatz  we  arrived  at  Pesth,  the 
approach  to  which,  for  stately  beauty,  is  scarcely  surpassed 
anywhere.  We  were  in  a  hurry  to  get  on,  and  so,  jumping 
into  a  fiacre  on  reaching  the  wharf,  caught  the  morning 
train  to  Vienna,  which  we  reached  in  just  seven  days  and 
six  hours  from  Constantinople— one  of  the  shortest  trips 
on  record.  From  Pesth  to  Pressburg,  the  road  lies  over 
a  plain  laughing  with  bountiful  crops ;  thence,  doubling  the 
Little  Carpathians  and  crossing  the  March,  where  it  leaves 
Hungary,  it  enters  the  rich  Viennese  basin  of  the  Danube. 
The  whole  of  this  route  would  well  repay  the  expenditure 
of  much  more  time  than  T  have  been  able  to  devote  to  it. 


II. 
POLAND  AND  RUSSIA. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

CKACOW,    AND   TH.E   SALT   MINES    OF   WIELICZKA- 

THE  great  Brandenburg  Plain,  or  "  Baltic  Sand-sea,"  as 
Humboldt  calls  it,  which  accompanied  us  all  the  way  to 
Breslau,  did  not  cease  until  after  we  had  crossed  the  border 
of  Austrian  Poland.  The  day  was  intensely  hot,  and  the 
dust  on  the  road  stifling.  These  vast  levels,  where  great 
grain  tracts  alternate  with  pine  forests,  are  even  more 
monotonous  than  our  own  prairies,  because  they  are  far 
less  fertile.  In  many  places,  the  desert  sand  of  the  lost 
ocean  whose  waves  once  rolled  here  pierces  the  thin  coat 
ing  of  soil  and  defies  all  attempts  at  cultivation.  The 
forests  first  reclaimed  it,  and  much  of  it  should  be  given 
back  for  &  time  to  the  keeping  of  the  forests  again.  In  this 
region  rye  is  grown  almost  exclusively.  As  we  penetrated 
further  into  Upper  Silesia,  the  smoke  of  smelting  furnaces 
blotted  the  air  and  sooty  trails  marked  the  way  to  the  coal 
mines.  An  intelligent  young  Pole,  in  the  cars,  informed 

13 


290  TKAVELS    IN  POLAND    AND   RUSSIA. 

me  that  the  country  has  also  a  good  name  for  its  agricul 
tural  condition — the  province  being  full  of  large  landed 
proprietors,  who,  it  seems,  have  paid  much  attention  to  the 
improvement  of  the  soil. 

After  passing  Oppeln  the  Polish  language  begins  to  be 
heard,  and  Polish  Jews,  in  rusty  black  caftans  and  shabby 
cylinder  hats,  are  seen  at  the  stations.  The  pine  forests 
are  more  frequent,  and  some  low  undulating  swells — the 
first  faint  ripples  of  the  distant  Carpathians — break  the 
dead  uniformity.  "  When  you  get  beyond  Myslowitz," 
said  the  young  Pole,  "  you  will  see  a  bit  of  the  Sahara,  only 
instead  of  camels  there  are  Austrians."  Myslowitz  is  the 
last  Prussian  station,  and  really,  for  ten  miles  beyond,  the 
country  is  a  hopeless  waste  of  sand,  as  yellow  and  bare  as 
the  Nubian  Desert.  After  passing  Szczakowa,  where  the 
Warsaw  road  branches  off,  the  country  gradually  improved. 
The  low  swells  rose  into  hills  covered  with  dark  forests, 
between  which  lay  meadows,  or  rather  immense  flower 
beds,  sheets  of  glittering  pink  and  yellow,  threaded  by 
tributaries  of  the  Vistula.  Polish  peasants,  in  their  high 
black  hats,  long  jackets  and  wide  Chinese  trowsers,  were  at 
work  in  the  fields,  or  tending  the  herds  of  horses- 
Strength,  coarseness,  and  stupidity,  occasionally  relieved  by 
a  twinkle  of  cunning,  were  their  prominent  characteristics. 
Some  of  the  boys  were  Irish  over  and  over. 

The  sepulchral  mound  of  Kosciusko,  on  the  summit  of  a 
long  hill,  denoted  our  approach  to  Cracow.  It  is  visible 
far  and  wide,  a  noble  landmark.  The  Austrians  have  com 
menced  fortifying  the  city,  and  this  monument,  being  on  a 
commanding  point,  is  now  inclosed  by  a  strong  fort. 


CKACOW,    AND   THE   SALT   MINES    OF   WIELICZKA.        291 

Eastward,  over  a  green  belt  of  foliage — tall  ash  trees, 
avenues  of  Lombardy  poplars,  and  locusts  showered  all 
over  with  blossoms — lies  Cracow,  in  the  lap  of  the  valley 
of  the  Vistula,  which  stretches  away  to  the  south-west 
until  its  folding  hills  of  green  grow  blue  in  the  distance, 
and  crouch  at  the  feet  of  the  high  Carpathian  mountains. 
Tall,  fantastic,  Tartaresque  spires  shoot  up  in  pairs  from 
the  stretch  of  tiled  roofs,  and  in  the  midst,  on  the  mound 
of  the  Wawel,  stands  in  massive  and  venerable  ugliness, 
the  ancient  Palace  of  the  Polish  Kings.  The  novelty  of 
the  picture,  no  less  than  its  exquisite  beauty,  took  me  by 
surprise.  I  seemed  to  be  already  far  away  from  Europe, 
and  in  that  strange  central  region  which,  in  character, 
forms  a  continent  by  itself. 

This  impression  was  not  weakened  after  arriving.  A 
queer,  bearded  hackney-coachman  took  our  baggage,  re 
peating  with  great  emphasis  " piet-nasty  "  (or  something 
like  it),  which  I  was  afraid  referred  to  my  dusty  appearance, 
but  the  German  conductor  explained  that  it  was  "  fifteen," 
the  number  of  the  fiacre.  Driving  through  an  old  tower- 
gate  we  entered  the  city,  and  were  deposited  at  a  hotel, 
where  a  room  spacious  enough  for  a  king's  audience-hall 
was  given  to  us.  Our  first  visitor  was  a  black  Jew,  who 
wanted  to  do  something  in  the  exchange  way.  Then  came 
a  rosy  Polish  chambermaid,  who  asked  whether  we  had 
brought  our  own  bedding !  The  valet-de-place  was  also  a 
Jew,  rusty,  black,  and  unwashed,  whose  company  we  were 
obliged  to  endure,  during  an  inspection  of  the  city. 

The  place  has  a  modern  air,  with  the  exception  of  the 
churches,  upon  which  rests  the  mellow  weight  of  from  two 


292  TRAVELS    IN   POLAND   AND    KUSSIA. 

to  five  centuries.  We  were  more  interested  in  the  people, 
who  happened  to  be  celebrating  a  national  and  a  religious 
festival  at  the  same  time,  and  thronged  every  street  in  their 
holiday  clothes.  Not  only  was  all  Cracow  out  of  doors, 
but  thousands  of  peasants  from  the  neighboring  villages  had 
come  into  the  city  to  share  in  the  festivities.  There  was 
the  most  fantastic  and  picturesque  mixture  of  characters 
and  costumes.  It  was  the  last  day  of  Frohnleichnamsfest 
(the  Body  of  Christ),  and  religious  processions,  with  tapers, 
shrines,  and  banners  of  white  and  crimson  silk,  were 
parading  the  streets.  A  company  of  boy  choristers,  in 
scarlet  robes,  and  bearing  a  crucifix,  generally  led  the  way. 
Then  came  a  group  of  young  peasants,  bare-headed,  with 
wild,  matted  hair,  and  candles  in  their  hands ;  next  girls 
carrying  a  shrine  and  canopy,  decorated  with  flowers,  and 
lastly,  priests  and  peasants  mingled  together,  with  a  crowd 
of  devout  followers. 

The  civic  festival  was  the  anniversary  of  a  victory  over 
the  Tartars,  which  has  been  annually  celebrated  for  the  last 
seven  hundred  years.  It  is  characterized  by  a  curious  cere 
mony  called  the  JZonik,  which  came  oif  in  the  evening.  A 
man  dressed  to  represent  a  Tartar  chief,  with  a  turban  of 
preposterous  size,  terminating  in  a  high,  conical  cap,  with 
his  face  masked,  and  his  body  inclosed  in  an  imitation  horse, 
over  which  his  false  legs  dangled,  was  conducted  through 
the  principal  streets,  preceded  by  the  sound  of  trumpets 
and  the  banners  of  the  city.  He  carried  in  his  hand  a  sort 
of  mace,  with  which  he  attacked  every  one  who  came  near 
him,  accompanying  his  blows  with  what  must  have  been 
very  humorous  and  telling  remarks,  to  judge  from  the 


CKACOW,    AND   THE   SALT   MIXES    OF   WIELICZKA.        293 

shouts  and  laughter  of  the  crowd.  The  press  of  people 
was  so  great,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  a  double  line  of  sol 
diers  who  accompanied  this  curious  procession,  that  we  had 
great  difficulty  in  catching  a  glimpse  of  what  was  going  on. 
We  mounted  the  Wawel  to  the  castle  of  the  Polish 
Kings,  which  is  now  a  military  barrack.  Two  new 
towers  and  a  wall  of  circumvallation  have  been  recently 
added. 

The  first  court,  high,  and  with  arched  galleries  around 
every  story,  was  formerly  the  residence  of  the  nobles 
attached  to  the  Polish  court.  Beyond  this  we  entered  a 
large  open  space,  on  the  right  of  which  stood  the  Cathedral, 
a  lofty  ancient  pile,  of  no  particular  style  of  architecture. 
The  Jew  called  our  attention  to  the  dome  over  one  of  the 
side-chapels.  "  See !"  said  he,  "  that  is  real  ducat  gold  ; 
you  will  not  see  the  like  anywhere  else  in  the  world."  But 
the  heavy  gilding  has  been  for  the  most  part  torn  away,  and 
the  dome  has  rather  a  shabby  look  in  consequence.  An 
ox-faced  Polish  priest  took  us  in  charge,  and  showed  us  the 
monuments  of  many  kings  and  more  bishops — ringing  his 
torical  names,  some  of  which  stir  the  blood.  The  cata 
falques  of  Casimir  the  Great,  of  Wratislaw,  of  Stephen 
Batory,  of  John  Sobieski,  and  others,  rich  with  marble  and 
silver,  fill  the  side  chapels  of  this  storied  pile.  There  still 
exists  the  stall  of  precious  marble,  where  the  Kings  of 
Poland  attended  mass,  with  wooden  seats  on  either  side  for 
the  ministers ;  while  in  the  chancel,  before  the  magnificent 
gilded  altar,  stands  the  velvet  canopy  under  which  they 
were  crowned.  The  sepulchral  monuments  are  poor, 
except  two  statues  by  Thorwaldsen — a  repetition  of  his 


294  TEAVELS   IX   POLAND    AND   RUSSIA. 

Christ,    and   the   Roman,    half-nude  figure  of  Prince  Po- 
tocld. 

We  afterwards  descended  into  the  crypt  of  the  church 
by  a  trap-door  in  the  pavement.  Here,  groping  along  after 
the  waxen  torch  in  the  priest's  hand,  we  came  to  the  mas 
sive  silver  sarcophagi  of  Wladislaus  IV.  and  his  queen. 
Beyond  these  glittering  shells,  at  the  end  of  the  dusky 
vault,  gloomed  a  sarcophagus  of  black  marble,  inscribed 
with  the  name  of  John  Sobieski.  The  Saviour  of  Austria 
(who  repaid  his  services  a  hundred  years  later!)  lies  in 
fitting  company :  on  his  right  hand  is  Poniatowsky,  on  his 
left  Kosciusko,  both  in  marble  coffins.  I  went  up  reve 
rently  and  placed  my  hand  upon  the  stone  which  covers 
each — proud,  noble,  glorious  hearts,  now  dust  for  ever ! 

Every  boy  who  reads  "  The  Wonders  of  the  World  "  in 
the  chimney-corner,  in  the  long  winter  evenings,  as  I  have 
done,  has  heard  of  the  salt  mines  of  Wieliczka.  The 
account  of  this  subterranean  saline  world  made  a  profound 
impression  upon  me  when  a  youngster,  and  I  diverged  a 
little  from  my  direct  route  on  purpose  to  visit  it.  All 
wonders  which  we  first  hear  of  in  the  dear,  secluded  nest 
of  home,  most  attract  us  after  our  wings  have  grown  and 
we  have  become  restless  birds  of  passage;  but  not  all 
retain  the  old  magic  after  we  behold  them.  The  Maelstrom 
turned  out  to  be  an  immense  exaggeration ;  Teneriife  and 
the  Natural  Bridges  of  Icononzo  lie  far  out  of  my  track, 
but  here  were  the  salt  mines,  within  eight  miles  of  Cracow, 
and  I  should  have  been  false  to  every  promise  of  youth  if 
I  had  not  visited  them.  If  "  The  Wonders  of  the  World" 
is  still  extant,  and  some  of  my  youthful  readers  are 


CKACOW,    AND   THE    SALT    MINES    OF    WIELICZKA.        295 

acquainted  with  the  book,  I  know  they  will  not  overlook 
this  chapter.  Talking  is  pleasantest  when  one  is  sure  of 
an  interested  audience  beforehand. 

In  company  with  a  Professor  from  St.  Petersburg,  we 
left  Cracow  in  the  morning,  crossed  the  Vistula,  and  drove 
eastward  through  a  low,  undulating  country,  covered  with 
fields  of  rye,  oats,  and  potatoes.  The  village  of  Wieliczka 
occupies  a  charming  situation  on  the  northern  slope  of  a 
long,  wTood-crowned  hill.  The  large  store-houses  for  the 
salt,  the  Government  offices,  and  the  residences  of  the 
superintendents,  on  a  slight  eminence  near  the  foot,  first 
strike  the  eye.  After  procuring  a  permit  from  the  proper 
official,  we  presented  ourselves  at  the  office,  over  the  mouth 
of  the  mine,  in  company  with  five  Prussian  travellers,  two 
of  them  ladies,  and  a  wandering  German  mechanic,  wrho 
had  tramped  out  from  Cracow  in  the  hope  of  seeing  the 
place.  We  were  all  enveloped  in  long,  coarse  blouses  of 
white  linen,  and  having  bespoken  a  supply  of  Bengal  lights, 
a  door  was  opened,  and  we  commenced  descending  into 
the  bowels  of  the  earth  by  an  easy  staircase,  in  a  square 
shaft.  Six  boys,  carrying  flaring  lamps,  were  distributed 
among  our  party,  and  one  of  the  superintendents  assumed 
the  office  of  conductor. 

After  descending  210  feet,  we  saw  the  first  veins  of  rock 
salt,  in  a  bed  of  clay  and  crumbled  sandstone.  Thirty  feet 
more,  and  we  were  in  a  world  of  salt.  Level  galleries 
branched  off  from  the  foot  of  the  staircase ;  overhead,  a 
ceiling  of  solid  salt,  under  foot  a  floor  of  salt,  and  on 
either  side  dark  gray  walls  of  salt,  sparkling  here  and 
there  with  minute  crystals.  Lights  glimmered  ahead,  and 


296  TRAVELS    IX    POLAND    AXD    RUSSIA. 

on  turning  a  corner  we  came  upon  a  gang  of  workmen,  some 
hacking  away  at  the  solid  floor,  others  trundling  wheel 
barrows  full  of  the  precious  cubes.  Here  was  the  chapel 
of  St.  Anthony,  the  oldest  in  the  mines — a  Byzantine  exca 
vation,  supported  by  columns  with  altar,  crucifix,  and  life- 
size  statues  of  saints,  apparently  in  black  marble,  but  all  as 
salt  as  Lot's  wife,  as  I  discovered  by  putting  my  tongue  to 
the  nose  of  John  the  Baptist.  The  humid  air  of  this  upper 
story  of  the  mines  has  damaged  some  of  the  saints :  Francis, 
especially,  is  running  away  like  a  dip  candle,  and  all  of  his 
head  is  gone  except  his  chin.  The  limbs  of  Joseph  are  drop 
ping  oiF  as  if  he  had  the  Norwegian  leprosy,  and  Law 
rence  has  deeper  scars  than  his  gridiron  could  have  made, 
running  up  and  down  his  back.  A  Bengal  light  burnt  at  the 
altar,  brought  into  sudden  life  this  strange  temple,  which  pre 
sently  vanished  into  utter  darkness,  as  if  it  had  never  been. 
I  cannot  follow,  step  by  step,  our  journey  of  two  hours 
through  the  labyrinths  of  this  wonderful  mine.  It  is  a 
bewildering  maze  of  galleries,  grand  halls,  staircases,  and 
vaulted  chambers,  where  one  soon  loses  all  sense  of  distance 
or  direction,  and  drifts  along  blindly  in  the  wake  of  his 
conductor.  Everything  was  solid  salt,  except  where  great 
piers  of  hewn  logs  had  been  built  up  to  support  some 
threatening  roof,  or  vast  chasms,  left  in  quarrying,  had 
been  bridged  across.  As  we  descended  to  lower  regions, 
the  air  became  more  dry  and  agreeable,  and  the  saline  walls 
more  pure  and  brilliant.  One  hall,  108  feet  in  height, 
resembled  a  Grecian  theatre,  the  traces  of  blocks  taken  out 
in  regular  layers  representing  the  seats  for  the  spectators. 
Out  of  this  single  hall  1,000,000  cwt.  of  salt  had  been 


CEACOW     AND   THE   SALT   MINES    OF   WIELICZKA.        297 

taken,  or  enough  to  supply  the  40,000,000  inhabitants  of 
Austria  for  one  year. 

Two  obelisks  of  salt  commemorated  the  visit  of  Francis 
I.  and  his  Empress  in  another  spacious,  irregular  vault, 
through  which  we  passed  by  means  of  a  wooden  bridge 
resting  on  piers  of  the  crystalline  rock.  After  we  had 
descended  to  the  bottom  of  this  chamber,  a  boy  ran  along 
the  bridge  above  with  a  burning  Bengal  light,  throwing 
flashes  of  blue  lustre  on  the  obelisks,  on  the  scarred  walls, 
vast  arches,  the  entrances  to  deeper  halls,  and  the  far  roof 
fretted  with  the  picks  of  the  workmen.  The  effect  was 
magical — wonderful.  Even  the  old  Prussian,  who  had  the 
face  of  an  exchange  broker,  exclaimed,  as  he  pointed 
upward:  "It  is  like  a  sky  full  of  cloud-lambkins."  Pre 
sently  we  entered  another  and  loftier  chamber,  yawning 
downwards  like  the  mouth  of  Hell,  with  cavernous  tunnels 
opening  out  of  the  further  end.  In  these  tunnels  the  work 
men,  half-naked,  with  torches  in  their  hands,  wild  cries, 
fireworks,  and  the  firing  of  guns  (which  here  so  reverberates 
in  the  imprisoned  air  that  one  can  feel  every  wave  of  sound), 
give  a  rough  representation  of  the  infernal  regions,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  crowned  heads  who  visit  the  mines.  The 
effect  must  be  indeed  diabolical.  Even  we,  unexceptionable 
characters  as  we  were,  looked  truly  uncanny  in  our  ghostly 
garments,  amid  the  livid  glare  of  the  fireworks. 

A  little  further,  we  struck  upon  a  lake  four  fathoms  deep, 
upon  which  we  embarked  in  a  heavy  square  boat  and 
entered  a  gloomy  tunnel,  over  the  entrance  of  which  was 
inscribed  (in  salt  letters)  "  Good  luck  to  you !"  In  such  a 
place  the  motto  seemed  ironical.  "  Abandon  hope,  all  ye 


298  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   EUSSIA. 

who  enter  here,"  would  have  been  more  appropriate. 
Midway  in  the  tunnel,  the  halls  at  either  end  were  suddenly 
illuminated,  and  a  crash,  as  of  a  hundred  cannon,  bellowing 
through  the  hollow  vaults,  shook  the  air  and  water  in  such 
wise  that  our  boat  had  not  ceased  trembling  when  we 
landed  in  the  further  hall.  Read  Tasso : 

"  Treman  le  spaziose  atre  caverne, 
E^l  asr  cieco  in  quel  rumor  rimbomba," 

if  you  want  to  hear  the  sound  of  it.  A  tablet  inscribed 
"  heartily  welcome !"  saluted  us  in  landing.  Finally,  at 
the  depth  of  450  feet,  our  journey  ceased,  although  we 
were  but  half  way  to  the  bottom.  The  remainder  is  a 
wilderness  of  shafts,  galleries,  and  smaller  chambers,  the 
extent  of  which  WTC  could  only  conjecture.  We  then 
returned  through  scores  of  tortuous  passages  to  some 
vaults  where  a  lot  of  gnomes,  naked  to  the  hips,  were  busy 
with  pick,  mallet,  and  wedge,  blocking  out  and  separating 
the  solid  pavement.  The  process  is  quite  primitive,  scarcely 
differing  from  that  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  in  quarrying 
granite.  The  blocks  are  first  marked  out  on  the  surface  by 
a  series  of  grooves.  One  side  is  then  deepened  to  the 
required  thickness,  and  wedges  being  inserted  under  the 
block,  it  is  soon  split  off.  It  is  then  split  transversely  into 
pieces  of  one  cwt.  each,  in  which  form  it  is  ready  for  sale. 
Those  intended  for  Russia  are  rounded  on  the  edges  and 
corners  until  they  acquire  the  shape  of  large  cocoons,  for 
the  convenience  of  transportation  into  the  interior  of  the 
country. 


CKACOW,    AND   THE   SALT   MINES    OF    WIELICZKA.        299 

The  number  of  workmen  employed  in  the  mines  is  1,500, 
all  of  whom  belong  to  the  "  upper  crust " — that  is,  they 
live  on  the  outside  of  the  world.  They  are  divided  into 
gangs,  and  relieve  each  other  every  six  hours.  Each  gang 
quarries  out,  on  an  average,  a  little  more  than  1,000  cwt. 
of  salt  in  that  space  of  time,  making  the  annual  yield 
1,500,000  cwt.!  The  men  we  saw  were  fine,  muscular, 
healthy-looking  fellows,  and  the  officer,  in  answer  to  my 
questions,  stated  that  their  sanitary  condition  was  quite 
equal  to  that  of  field  laborers.  Scurvy  does  not  occur 
among  them,  and  the  equality  of  the  temperature  of  the 
mines — which  stands  at  54°  of  Fahrenheit  all  the  year 
round — has  a  favorable  effect  upon  such  as  are  predisposed 
to  diseases  of  the  lungs.  He  was  not  aware  of  any  peculiar 
form  of  disease  induced  by  the  substance  in  which  they 
work,  notwithstanding  where  the  air  is  humid  salt-crystals 
form  upon  the  wood-work.  The  wood,  I  may  here  remark, 
n,ever  rots,  and  where  untouched,  retains  its  quality  for 
centuries.  The  officer  explicitly  denied  the  story  of  men 
having  been  born  in  these  mines,  and  having  gone  through 
life  without  ever  mounting  to  the  upper  world.  So  there 
goes  another  interesting  fiction  of  our  youth. 

It  requires  a  stretch  of  imagination  to  conceive  the  extent 
of  this  salt  bed.  As  far  as  explored,  its  length  is  two  and 
a  half  English  miles,  its  breadth  a  little  over  half  a  mile, 
and  its  solid  depth  690  feet !  It  commences  about  200  feet 
below  the  surface,  and  is  then  uninterrupted  to  the  bottom, 
where  it  rests  on  a  bed  of  compact  sandstone,  such  as  forms 
the  peaks  of  the  Carpathian  Mountains.  Below  this,  ther.e 
is  no  probability  that  it  again  reappears.  The  general 


300  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   EUSSIA. 

direction  is  east  and  west,  dipping  rapidly  at  its  western 
extremity,  so  that  it  may  no  doubt  be  pushed  much  further 
in  that  direction.  Notwithstanding  the  immense  amount 
already  quarried — and  it  will  be  better  understood  when  I 
state  that  the  aggregate  length  of  the  shafts  and  galleries 
amounts  to  four  hundred  and  twenty  miles — it  is  estimated 
that,  at  the  present  rate  of  exploitation,  the  known  supply 
cannot  be  exhausted  under  300  years.  The  tripartite 
treaty,  on  the  partition  of  Poland,  limits  Austria  to  the 
production  of  the  present  amount — 1,500,000  cwt.  annually 
— of  which  she  is  bound  to  furnish  300,000  cwt.  to  Prussia, 
and  800,000  to  Russia,  leaving  400,000  cwt.  for  herself. 
This  sum  yields  her  a  net  revenue  from  the  mines,  of  two 
millions  of  florins  ($1,000,000)  annually. 

It  is  not  known  how  this  wonderful  deposit — more  pre 
cious  than  gold  itself — was  originally  discovered.  We 
know  that  it  was  worked  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  per 
haps  much  earlier.  The  popular  faith  has  invented  several 
miracles  to  account  for  it,  giving  the  merit  to  favorite 
saints.  One,  which  is  gravely  published  in  "  The  History  of 
Cracow,"  states  that  a  Polish  King,  who  wooed  a  Princess 
Elizabeth  of  Hungary  (not  the  saint  of  the  Wartburg) 
in  the  tenth  century,  asked  what  she  would  choose  as  a 
bridal  gift  from  him.  To  which  she  replied :  Something 
that  would  most  benefit  his  people.  The  marriage  cere 
mony  was  performed  in  a  chapel  in  one  of  the  salt-mines  of 
Transylvania.  Soon  after  being  transferred  to  Cracow, 
Elizabeth  went  out  to  Wieliczka,  surveyed  the  ground,  and, 
after  choosing  a  spot,  commanded  the  people  to  dig.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  days  they  found  a  salt-crystal,  which  the 


CRACOW,    AND   THE    SALT    MINES    OF    WIELICZKA.        301 

Queen  caused  to  be  set  in  her  wedding-ring,  and  wore  until 
the  day  of  her  death.  She  must  have  been  a  wonderful 
geologist,  for  those  days.  The  bed  actually  follows  the 
Carpathians,  appearing  at  intervals  in  small  deposits,  into 
Transylvania,  where  there  are  extensive  mines.  It  is 
believed,  also,  that  it  stretches  northward  into  Russian 
Poland.  Some  years  ago  the  Bank  of  Warsaw  expended 
large  sums  in  boring  for  salt  near  the  Austrian  frontier. 
There  was  much  excitement  and  speculation  for  a  time; 
but,  although  the  mineral  was  found,  the  cost  of  quarrying 
it  was  too  great,  and  the  enterprise  was  dropped. 

On  our  return  we  visited  Francis-Joseph's  hall,  a  large 
salt  ball-room,  with  well  executed  statues  of  Vulcan  and 
Neptune.  Six  large  chandeliers,  apparently  of  cut  glass, 
but  really  of  salt,  illuminate  it  on  festive  occasions,  and 
hundreds  of  dancers  perspire  themselves  into  a  pretty  pickle. 
When  we  had  reached  the  upper  galleries,  we  decided  to 
ascend  to  daylight  by  means  of  the  windlass.  The  Prus 
sian  party  went  first,  and  the  ladies  were  not  a  little 
alarmed  at  finding  themselves  seated  in  rope  slings,  only 
supported  by  a  band  under  the  arms.  All  five  swung 
together  in  a  heap ;  the  ladies  screamed  and  would  have 
loosened  themselves,  but  that  moment  the  windlass  began 
to  move,  and  up  they  went,  dangling,  towards  the  little 
star  of  daylight,  two  hundred  feet  above.  Under  them  hung 
one  of  the  boys,  to  steady  the  whirling  mass,  and  the  little 
scamp  amused  himself  by  swinging  his  lamp,  cracking  his 
heels  together  and  rattling  his  stick  along  the  sides  of  the 
shaft.  When  our  turn  came,  I  found,  in  spite  of  myself, 
that  such  pastime  was  not  calculated  to  steady  my  nerves. 


302  TRAVELS    IN    POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

The  sound  of  the  stick  was  very  much  like  that  of  snapping 
ropes,  and  my  brain  swam  a  little  at  finding  my  feet  dan 
gling  over  what  seemed  a  bottomless  abyss  of  darkness. 

The  arrival  at  the  top  was  like  a  douche  of  lightning.  It 
was  just  noon,  and  the  hot,  white,  blinding  day  poured  full 
upon  us,  stinging  our  eyes  like  needles,  and  almost  taking 
away  our  breath.  We  were  at  once  beset  with  a  crowd  of 
beggars  and  salt-venders.  The  latter  proffered  a  multitude 
of  small  articles — crosses,  stars,  images,  books,  cups,  dishes, 
&c. — cut  from  the  native  crystal,  and  not  distinguishable 
from  glass  in  appearance.  I  purchased  a  salt-cellar,  which 
has  the  property  of  furnishing  salt  when  it  is  empty.  But 
it  seemed  to  me  that  I  should  not  need  to  use  it  for  some  days. 
I  felt  myself  so  thoroughly  impregnated  with  salt,  that  I 
conceived  the  idea  of  seasoning  my  soup  by  stirring  it  with 
my  fingers,  and  half  expected  that  the  fresh  roast  would 
turn  to  corned  beef  in  my  mouth. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

A.     GLANCE     AT      WARSAW. 

BEFORE  leaving  Cracow,  we  visited  the  monument  to  Kos- 
ciusko,  which  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  city.  It 
is  a  simple  mound  of  earth,  thrown  together  by  the  Poles, 
in  memory  of  the  hero  of  two  hemispheres.  They  are 
proud  of  the  renown  of  Sobieski,  but  they  treasure  the 
name  of  Kosciusko  within  their  heart  of  hearts.  Probably 
no  man  was  ever  before  honored  with  such  a  monument. 
It  was  not  raised  by  subscription  and  hired  labor,  but  by 
the  spontaneous  work  of  thousands  of  hands.  Old  and 
young,  male  and  female,  the  noble  and  the  peasant,  carried 
their  loads  of  earth,  until  the  mound  arose  to  be  a  beacon 
to  the  little  Free  State  of  Cracow — so  long  as  that  Free 
State  existed.  The  account  of  its  erection  is  truly  touch 
ing,  and  one  cannot  look  upon  it  without  hoping  that  it 
may  last  to  tell  the  story  to  distant  ages  and  nations  yet 
unformed. 

When  the  Austrian  Government  determined  to  fortify 
Cracow,  the  commanding  position  which  this  mound  occu- 


304  TRAVELS   IX   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

pies  could  not  be  overlooked.  It  is  now  completely  inclosed 
within  a  glaring  new  fortification  of  brick  and  earth,  which 
overlooks  the  valley  and  the  course  of  the  Vistula  for  many 
a  league.  In  the  very  centre  of  the  fort  rises  the  singular 
tumulus,  high  overtopping  its  bastioned  walls.  A  great 
circular  buttress  of  brick,  twenty  feet  high,  has  been  built 
around  its  base  and  the  earth  filled  in,  so  that  the  mound  is 
really  strengthened,  although  it  loses  much  of  its  picturesque- 
ness  by  this  environment.  Its  original  height  must  have 
been  about  120  feet,  with  a  base  of  from  200  to  250  feet  in 
diameter.  It  is  conical  and  very  steep,  with  a  double  path 
encircling  it  to  the  top.  A  number  of  workmen  were  em 
ployed  in  smoothing  its  rough,  neglected  surface,  and  coat 
ing  it  with  an  even  garment  of  thick  turf.  This  looked 
like  perilous  work,  as  the  least  slip  would  in  many  places 
have  precipitated  them  headlong  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
below.  They  were  only  supported  on  the  edges  of  the  turf 
itself,  or  on  small  pins  driven  into  the  earth. 

The  panoramic  view  from  the  summit  is  exceedingly 
beautiful.  Cracow  lay  before  us,  buried  in  blooming 
groves ;  the  Vistula  flashed  and  glittered  in  many  a  curve 
through  the  green  meadows ;  gently-swelling  hills,  in  the 
north,  melted  away  into  the  plains  of  Poland,  while  in  the 
south  the  successive  ridges  rose  higher  and  higher,  dark 
with  forests,  until  the  misty  Carpathians  crowned  them  all. 
Below  us  was  the  place  of  Lobkow,  where  dwelt  Esther,  the 
beautiful  Jewess,  beloved  by  Casimir  the  Great.  This 
love,  guilty  though  it  was,  procured  a  home  in  Poland  for 
the  oppressed  race,  and  since  that  time  the  country  has  been 
their  second  Judea.  In  other  respects,  however,  their  con- 


A    GLANCE   AT   WARSAW.  303 

dition  has  not  improved,  for  a  more  vile  and  filthy  rac3 
(except  the  Chinese)  cannot  disgust  the  traveller.  Thou 
sands  of  soldiers  were  skirmishing  on  the  green  meadows 
of  the  Vistula,  and  the  stream  was  filled  with  whole  com 
panies  of  them,  bathing. 

Cracow  is  now  connected  with  Warsaw,  by  railroad,  but 
it  was  necessary  to  retrace  our  way  as  far  as  Szczakowa, 
on  the  borders  of  the  Little  Sahara.  After  waiting  a  long 
hour  at  this  place,  we  got  into  another  train  and  in  ten 
minutes  crossed  the  little  river  Przemsza,  the  frontier  of 
Russian  Poland.  On  the  opposite  bank  is  the  station  of 
Granitza,  where  one  is  subjected  to  a  detention  of  three 
hours,  in  order  that  the  necessary  formalities  on  entering 
Russia  may  be  complied  with.  We  first  gave  up  our 
passports,  which  were  duly  examined  and  vised,  and  then 
attended  to  our  baggage.  The  examination  was  not  parti 
cularly  strict,  except  that  the  officer  tore  up  and  threw  away 
every  particle  of  newspaper  in  which  anything  was  wrapped. 
Our  books  were  also  laid  aside,  and  all,  with  the  exception 
of  a  German  guide-book,  retained.  We  received  a  receipt 
for  them,  and  were  told  that  we  should  hear  of  them  again 
at  the  Censor's  office  in  Moscow.  They  consisted  of  the 
History  of  Cracow,  a  volume  of  Household  Words,  Kohl's 
St.  Petersburg,  and  Henry  Carey's  Letters  to  President 
Buchanan.  Murray  and  a  German  work  I  was  reading 
were  stowed  away  in  our  pockets,  and  escaped.  Although 
Polish  is  exclusively  spoken  at  this  place,  the  officers  under 
stood  German,  and  we  found  them  courteous  and  obliging. 
No  questions  whatever  were  asked. 

The  country  is  one  unvarying  level  from  the  frontier  to 


306  TRAVELS    IN    POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

Warsaw,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles.  At  first,  you 
pass  through  a  region  of  sand  and  pine  wood,  the  very 
counterpart  of  New  Jersey  or  North  Carolina ;  then  broad 
plains,  partially  cultivated;  then  pasture  steppes,  pine 
wood,  and  cultivation  again.  The  villages  are  scattering 
clusters  of  thatched  cottages  resembling  Irish  cabins,  ex 
cept  that  they  are  always  neatly  whitewashed  and  have  a 
more  tidy  appearance.  This  is  rather  in  contrast  to  the 
people,  who  are  very  dirty.  The  common,  coarse  Slavonic 
type  is  here  universal — low,  square  forehead,  heavy  brows, 
prominent  cheek-bones,  flattish  nose,  with  broad  nostrils 
and  full  lips.  With  the  addition  of  a  projecting  mouth, 
many  of  the  faces  would  be  completely  Irish.  The  refined 
Slavonic  face,  as  one  sees  it  among  the  Polish  gentry,  is 
nevertheless  very  handsome.  The  forehead  becomes  high 
and  arched,  the  nose  straight  and  regular,  and  the  face 
shows  an  approach  to  the  classic  oval.  This  is  even  more 
striking  in  the  female  than  in  the  male  countenance.  At 
Granitza  we  were  charmed  by  a  vision  of  perfect  loveliness, 
which  shone  on  us  from  time  to  time,  from  the  upper 
window  of  an  adjoining  mansion.  It  was  a  woman  of 
twenty-two,  of  ripe  and  yet  tender  beauty — features  exqui 
sitely  regular,  complexion  like  a  blush  rose,  large,  soft  eyes, 
rather  violet  than  blue,  and  a  rippling  crown  of  magnificent 
hair,  "brown  in  the  shadow  and  gold  in  the  sun."  I  con 
fess  to  watching  this  beautiful  creature  for  half  an  hour, 
through  the  window-blinds.  The  face  of  Kosciusko  is  pure 
Slavonic,  of  the  peasant  type,  as  is  also  that  of  Copernicus, 
if  the  portraits  of  him  are  correct. 

The   only  place   of  any  interest  which  we  passed   was 


A    GLANCE   AT   WARSAW.  307 

Czenstochau,  celebrated  for  a  miracle-working  image  of  the 
Madonna.  It  is  a  pretty  little  town,  partly  built  upon  a  hill 
which  is  at  least  fifty  feet  high.  The  station-houses  on  the 
road  are  similar  to  those  in  Germany,  except  that  in  the 
refreshment-room  one  sees,  instead  of  multitudinous  seidls 
of  beer,  the  Russian  samovar,  and  tumblers  of  hot  tea,  in 
which  float  slices  of  lemon.  There  are  long  delays  at  each 
station,  which  make  the  journey  tedious,  notwithstanding 
the  speed  of  the  trains,  when  in  motion,  is  very  good. 
Several  thunder-storms  passed  over  us,  cooling  the  air  and 
laying  the  frightful  dust ;  night  came  on,  and  it  was  past 
midnight  before  we  reached  Warsaw.  We  were  like  a 
couple  of  lost  sheep  in  the  crowd,  all  of  whom  were  hurry 
ing  to  get  to  their  beds,  for  the  only  language  heard  was 
Polish,  and  the  officials  shook  their  heads  when  I  addressed 
them  in  French  or  German.  Finally,  by  imitating  the  ma 
jority,  we  got  rid  of  our  passports,  had  our  trunks  exam 
ined  again,  and  reached  the  Hotel  d'Europe  before  day 
break. 

The  forenoon  was  devoted  to  preparations  for  our  further 
journey.  Fortunately,  the  diligence  which  was  to  leave 
for  Moscow  the  next  evening  was  vacant,  and  we  at  once 
engaged  places.  The  passport  was  a  more  serious  affair, 
as  our  own  would  avail  us  no  further,  but  we  must  take  out 
Russian  ones  instead.  The  Jew  valet-de-place  whispered 
to  me,  as  we  entered  the  office :  "  Speak  French."  The 
Poles  hate  the  Germans  much  worse  than  they  do  their 
Russian  conquerors,  and  although  many  of  them  understand 
the  language,  it  is  considered  that  of  business,  while  French 
is  the  fashionable  tongue.  The  officer  asked  a  few  ques- 


308  TRAVELS    IN    POLAND    AND    EUSSIA. 

tions — what  was  our  object  in  coming  to  Russia — whether 
we  had  any  acquaintances  in  the  country — whether  we  had 
ever  been  there  before — whether  we  were  engaged  in  any 
business,  etc.,  and  then  sent  us  with  a  checked  certificate 
into  another  room,  where  the  same  questions  were  repeated 
and  a  document  made  out,  which  we  w^ere  requested  to 
sign.  Our  conductor  slipped  a  ruble  note  between  the  two 
papers,  and  handed  them  to  a  third  official,  who  adroitly 
removed  the  bribe  and  completed  the  necessary  forms. 
These  were  petitions  to  the  Governor  of  Warsaw,  praying 
him  to  grant  us  passports  to  Moscow.  On  calling  at  the 
Governor's  office,  a  secretary  informed  us  that  the  passports 
would  be  ready  the  next  day,  but  added,  as  we  were  leav 
ing  :  "  You  had  better  pay  for  them  now."  Hereupon  the 
valet  handed  over  the  money,  adding  a  ruble  above  the 
proper  amount,  and  then  observed  to  me  :  "  Now  you  are 
sure  of  getting  them  in  time."  True  enough,  they  were 
furnished  at  the  appointed  hour.  The  entire  outlay  was 
about  four  rubles. 

It  was  a  sweltering  day,  the  thermometer  90°  in  the 
shade,  and  we  could  do  nothing  more  than  lounge  through 
some  of  the  principal  streets.  Warsaw  is  indeed  a  spacious, 
stately  city,  but  I  had  heard  it  overpraised,  and  was  a  little 
disappointed.  It  resembles  Berlin  more  than  any  other  Euro 
pean  capital,  but  is  less  monotonously  laid  out,  and  more  gay 
and  animated  in  its  aspects.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  (June 
14th),  owing  to  the  annual  races,  there  was  a  large  influx 
of  visitors  from  the  country,  and  the  streets  were  thronged 
with  a  motley  multitude.  The  numerous  public  squares — 
fifteen  in  all,  I  think — picturesquely  irregular,  form  an 


A    GLANCE   AT   WARSAW.  309 

agreeable  feature  of  the  city.  The  palaces  of  the  Polish 
nobles,  massive  and  desolate,  remind  one  of  Florence,  but 
without  the  Palladian  grace  of  the  latter.  But  few  of 
them  are  inhabited  by  the  original  families.  Some  of  them 
are  appropriated  to  civil  and  military  uses,  and  in  one  of 
them  I  resided  during  my  stay.  The  churches  of  St.  John 
and  the  Holy  Cross,  and  the  Lutheran  church,  are  rather 
large  and  lofty  than  imposing,  but  rise  finely  above  the  level 
masses  of  buildings,  and  furnish  landmarks  to  the  city. 
Decidedly  the  most  impressive  picture  in  Warsaw  is  that 
from  the  edge  of  the  river  bank,  where  the  Zamek — the 
ancient  citadel  and  palace  of  the  Polish  kings — rises  with 
its  towers  and  long  walls  on  your  left,  while  under  you  lies 
the  older  part  of  the  city,  with  its  narrow  streets  and  an 
cient  houses,  crowded  between  the  Vistula  and  the  foot  of 
the  hill. 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  an  omnibus  to  the  race-course, 
which  is  about  two  miles  distant.  The  whole  city  was 
wending  thither,  and  there  could  not  have  been  less  than 
forty  or  fifty  thousand  persons  on  the  ground.  It  was  a 
thoroughly  Polish  crowd,  there  being  but  few  Russians  or 
Germans  present.  Peasants  from  the  country  with  sun- 
browned  faces,  and  long,  light-brown  hair,  with  round  Chi 
nese  caps  and  petticoat  trowsers ;  mechanics  and  petty 
tradesmen  of  either  honestly  coarse  or  shabby-genteel  ap 
pearance  ;  Jews,  with  long  greased  locks  hanging  from 
their  temples,  lank,  unctuous,  and  far-smelling  figures  ;  Cos 
sacks,  with  their  long  lances,  heavy  caps  of  black  sheepskin, 
and  breasts  covered  with  cartridge  pockets;  prosperous 
burghers,  sleek  and  proper,  and  straight  as  the  figure- 


310  TRAVELS   IX   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

columns  in  their  ledgers ;  noblemen,  poor  and  with  a  me 
lancholy  air  of  fallen  greatness,  or  rich  and  flaunting  in  the 
careless  freedom  of  secured  position.  Besides,  there  were 
itinerant  peddlers,  by  hundreds,  selling  oranges,  sweet 
meats,  cigars  done  up  in  sealed  packages,  which  offered  an 
agreeable  hazard  in  buying  them,  beer,  and  even  water,  in 
large  stone  jugs.  The  crowd  formed  a  compact  inclosure 
nearly  around  the  whole  course  of  two  miles.  Outside  of 
it  extended  a  wide  belt  of  carriages,  hacks,  omnibuses,  and 
rough  country  carts,  and  as  thp  soil  was  six  inches  deep  in 
fine  dust,  the  continual  arrivals  of  vehicles  raised  such 
clouds  that  at  times  a  man  could  scarcely  see  his  nearest 
neighbor. 

We  held  out  with  difficulty  long  enough  to  see  the  first 
race,  which  was  to  have  taken  place  at  five,  but,  with 
oriental  punctuality,  commenced  at  half-past  six.  The 
horses,  although  of  mixed  English  blood,  fell  considerably 
below  the  English  standard.  There  were  eight  in  all,  but 
the  race  was  not  exciting,  as  a  fine  bay  animal,  ridden  by 
an  English  jockey,  took  the  lead  at  the  start,  and  kept  it 
to  the  end.  During  the  second  heat  a  Polish  jockey  was 
thrown  from  his  horse,  breaking  his  neck  instantly.  What 
more  interested  me  than  the  speed  of  the  horses,  was  the 
beauty  of  the  Polish  women  of  the  better  class.  During 
two  years  in  Europe,  I  did  not  see  so  great  a  number  of 
handsome  faces,  as  I  there  saw  in  an  hour.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  furnish  a  larger  proportion  from  the  acknow 
ledged  loveliness  of  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  or  Louisville. 
These  maids  of  Warsaw  are  not  only  radiant  blondes,  whose 
eyes  and  hair  remind  you  of  corn-flowers  among  ripe  grain, 


A    GLAXCE    AT    WARSAW.  311 

but  also  dark-eyed  beauties,  with  faces  of  a  full  Southern 
oval,  lips  round  and  delicate  as  those  of  an  Amorette,  and 
a  pure  golden  transparency  of  complexion.  The  connois 
seur  of  woman's  beauty  can  nowhere  better  compare  these 
two  rival  styles,  nor  have  so  great  a  difficulty  in  deciding 
between  them. 

We  majje  our  way  back  to  the  city  in  a  blinding  cloud  of 
dust,  between  a  double  row  of  clamorous  beggars.  They 
were  wonderfully  picturesque  creatures,  where  some  repul 
sive  deformity  was  not  exposed.  There  were  the  hoary 
heads  of  saints,  which  seemed  to  have  come  direct  from 
Italian  canvas,  sun-burnt  boys  from  Murillo,  and  skinny 
hags  drawn  by  the  hand  of  Michael  Angelo.  Over  the 
noiseless  bed  of  dust  rushed  the  country  carts,  filled  with 
peasants  drunk  enough  to  be  jolly,  the  funny  little  horses 
going  in  a  frolicsome,  irregular  gallop,  as  if  they  too  had 
taken  a  drop  too  much.  Now  and  then  some  overladen 
pedestrian,  beating  a  zigzag  course  against  the  gale,  would 
fall  and  disappear  in  a  cloud,  like  a  bursting  shell.  I  saw 
but  one  specimen  of  the  picturesque  Polish  costume — a  ser 
vant-girl  in  red  petticoat  and  boots,  and  the  trim  jacket 
which  we  all  know  in  the  Cracovienne.  The  poorer  women, 
generally,  were  shabby  and  slovenly  imitations  of  the  rich. 

Wandering  along  the  streets,  with  throats  full  of  dust, 
we  were  attracted  to  the  sign  of  "  Piwo  Bavarski" 
(Bavarian  beer).  Entering  a  court  littered  with  the  refuse 
of  the  kitchen,  we  discovered  a  sort  of  German  restaurant, 
of  suspicious  cleanliness.  The  proprietor  who  served  us 
with  an  insipid  beverage — a  slander  on  the  admirable  brew- 
age  of  Munich — soon  learned  that  we  were  strangers. 


312  TUAVELS    IN   POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

"  But  how  did  you  happen  to  find  my  place  ?''  he  asked. 
"  All  the  other  beer-saloons  in  the  city  are  dirty,  low  places : 
mine  is  the  only  noble  establishment."  He  was  very  desi 
rous  of  importing  a  negro  girl  from  America,  for  a  bar 
maid.  "  I  should  have  all  the  nobility  of  the  city  here,1' 
said  he.  "  She  would  be  a  great  curiosity.  There  is  that 
woman  Pastrana,  with  the  hair  all  over  her  face — she  has 
made  a  great  fortune,  they  say.  There  are  not  many  of  the 
kind,  and  I  could  not  afford  it,  but  if  I  could  get  one  quite 
black,  with  a  woolly  head,  I  should  make  more  money  in  a 
day  than  I  now  do  in  a  month.1'  He  wished  to  engage  me 
to  send  him  such  an  attraction,  but  I  respectfully  declined. 

At  this  place  we  fell  in  with  a  Polish  pianist,  a  virtuoso 
in  pictures  and  old  furniture.  He  took  us  to  his  room,  a 
charming  artistic  and  antiquarian  den.  Among  other  things 
he  had  a  few  undoubted  originals — a  small  Rembrandt,  a 
Gerard  Dow,  a  very  fine  Matsys,  two  Bourguignons,  and  a 
landscape  which  appeared  to  be  an  early  work  of  Claude. 
He  wanted  to  sell  these,  of  course  at  a  good  price,  and  like 
wise  commissioned  me  to  furnish  him  with  a  purchaser  in 
America.  The  man  fondled  his  treasures  with  a  genuine 
attachment  and  delight,  and  I  am  sure  that  nothing  but 
necessity  induced  him  to  part  with  them. 

I  wanted  to  visit  Yillanow,  the  residence  of  John  Sobieski. 
Do  you  remember  the  passage  in  dear  old  Miss  Porter's 
"Thaddeus  of  Warsaw,"  where  the  hero  contemplates  the 
moon  ?  " '  How  often  have  I  walked  with  my  departed 
mother  upon  the  ramparts  of  Villanow,  and  gazed  upon 
that  resplendent  orb !'  '  Villanow !'  exclaimed  the  Countess ; 
4  surely  that  is  the  residence  of  Sobieski,  and  you  must  be 


A    GLANCE    AT    WARSAW.  313 

his  heroic  grandson,  Thaddeus  Sobieski !'  " — or  something 
quite  like  it.  But  the  lying  Jew  valet  declared  that  it  was 
a  journey  of  eight  hours,  and  I  have  discovered,  when  too 
late,  that  it  might  be  accomplished  in  three.  The  pianist, 
however,  accompanied  us  to  Lazinski,  the  park  and  palace 
of  Stanislaus  Augustus,  on  the  banks  of  the  Vistula.  The 
building  stands  in  the  midst  of  an  artificial  lake,  which  is 
inclosed  in  a  framework  of  forests.  The  white  statues 
which  stud  the  banks  gleam  in  strong  relief  against  the 
dark  green  background.  "  There  is  nothing  so  beautiful 
as  this  in  existence,"  proudly  asserted  the  pianist,  "and  yet 
you  see  the  place  is  deserted.  There  is  no  taste  in  Warsaw ; 
nobody  comes  here."  In  the  palace  there  is  a  picture  gal 
lery  ;  all  copies,  with  the  exception  of  portraits  of  Stanis 
laus  Augustus,  the  nobles  of  his  court,  and  his  many  mis 
tresses.  As  we  descended  the  steps,  we  met  the  son  of 
Kotzebue,  the  dramatist.  He  is  now  an  officer  (a  General, 
I  believe)  in  the  Russian  service,  more  than  sixty  years  old, 
and  of  a  very  ill-favored  physiognomy. 

So  far  as  I  may  judge  (and  my  opportunities,  I  must 
confess,  were  slight),  the  Poles  are  gradually  acquiescing 
in  the  rule  of  Russia.  The  course  pursued  by  the  present 
Emperor  has  already  given  him  much  popularity  among 
them,  and  the  plan  of  the  regeneration  of  Poland  is  inde 
finitely  postponed.  Those  with  whom  I  conversed  admit, 
if  reluctantly,  in  some  instances,  that  Alexander  II.  has 
made  many  changes  for  the  better.  "  The  best  thing  he 
has  done  for  us,"  said  an  intelligent  Pole,  "  is  the  abolition 
of  espionage.  Warsaw  is  now  full  of  former  spies,  whose 
business  is  at  an  end ;  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  they 

14 


314  TRAVELS    IN    POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

are  no  longer  necessary."  The  feeling  of  nationality  sur 
vives,  however,  long  after  a  nation  is  dead  and  buried. 
The  Jews  in  Poland  call  themselves  Jews,  and  the  Poles  in 
Russia  will  call  themselves  Poles,  centuries  hence. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

A  JOURNEY  THROUGH  CENTRAL  RUSSIA. 

THERE  is  a  diligence  three  or  four  times  a  week  between 
Warsaw  and  Moscow.  The  trip — a  distance  of  eight  hun 
dred  English  miles — is  made  in  five  days  by  the  fast  coach, 
which  leaves  the  former  place  every  Monday  evening,  and 
in  six  days  by  the  others.  The  fare  is  fifty  silver  rubles 
($37|)  for  an  outside,  and  seventy  ($52j)  for  an  inside 
seat.  On  account  of  the  intense  heat,  we  took  outside 
places,  but  as  there  happened  to  be  no  other  through  pas 
sengers  we  were  allowed  the  range  of  the  entire  vehicle. 
It  was  a  strongly  built,  substantial  affair,  resembling  a 
French  diligence,  but  smaller  and  more  comfortable  in 
every  way.  A  traveller  who  had  made  this  journey  recom 
mended  us  to  take  a  supply  of  provisions,  asserting  that  it 
was  impossible  to  procure  anything  on  the  way ;  but  as  a 
Russian  official  contradicted  this  statement,  we  took  his 
word,  and  had  no  reason  to  regret  it  afterwards.  In  fact, 
I  have  never  made  a  journey  by  diligence  with  more  ease 
and  less  fatigue. 


316  TRAVELS    IN    POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

At  seven  o'clock  on  Monday  evening,  we  took  our  places 
beside  the  Russian  conductor,  who,  in  his  coat  braided 
with  gold,  resembled  an  officer  of  cavalry,  and  started  on 
our  long  voyage  through  unknown  regions.  The  postilion 
sounded  a  charge  on  his  trumpet  as  we  rattled  through  the 
streets  of  Warsaw,  past  the  stately  Zamek,  and  down  the 
long  hill  upon  which  the  city  is  proudly  lifted,  to  the  Vis 
tula.  A  bridge  of  boats  crosses  to  the  suburb  of  Praga, 
•whence  all  traces  of  the  blood  spilt  by  Suwarrow,  Skryz- 
necki,  and  Diebitsch  have  long  since  been  washed  away. 
It  is  now  a  very  quiet,  dull  sort  of  a  place,  with  no  vestiges 
of  its  former  defences.  Beyond  it  stretches  that  vast  plain 
of  Central  Europe  and  Asia,  whose  limits  are  the  British 
Channel  and  the  Chinese  Wall.  In  traversing  it,  I  was 
continually  reminded  of  Humboldt's  description  of  the 
Kirghiz  Steppes — "Ten  miles  give  you  the  picture  of  a 
thousand."  Straight  before  us,  cutting  the  belted  tracts 
of  pine-forest  and  grain  land,  the  road  ran  to  the  horizon, 
where  its  white  floor  met  the  sky.  Four  horses  abreast, 
with  two  leaders,  carried  us  past  the  verst-posts  at  the  rate 
of  eight  or  nine  miles  an  hour,  and  the  postilion's  horn 
sounded  incessant  warnings  to  the  slow  teams  laden  with 
hay  or  other  country  produce,  with  which  the  road  was 
filled.  The  night  was  warm  and  balmy,  and  the  long  sum 
mer  twilight  connected  sunset  and  sunrise  with  its  bridge 
of  boreal  light. 

A  young  Pole  was  our  companion  the  first  night.  I  was 
interested  in  hearing  from,  him  that  Longfellow's  poems 
had  been  published  in  the  Polish  language,  at  Lublin,  a 
large  city  about  a  hundred  miles  south-east  of  Warsaw. 


A    JOURNEY    THROUGH    CENTRAL    RUSSIA.  317 

The  distinguished  Polish  poet,  Adam  Mickiewicz,  he  stated, 
was  a  great  admirer  of  Emerson,  whom  he  frequently  cites 
in  his  prose  writings.  The  Emperor  Alexander  has  recently 
authorized  the  publication  of  the  collected  works  of  Mickie 
wicz  (with  the  exception  of  some  political  papers)  at  War 
saw,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poet's  family,  and  has  also  per 
mitted  contributions  to  be  taken  up  for  the  same  purpose. 

The  post  stations  on  this  road  are  at  intervals  of  from 
twelve  to  twenty-two  versts,  and  the  diligence  usually  stops 
barely  long  enough  to  change  horses.  At  the  larger  towns, 
however,  there  is  a  halt  of  half  an  hour,  which  allows  the  pas 
senger  time  to  get  a  hasty  meal.  The  Pole  assisted  us 
during  the  first  twelve  hours,  but  after  that  we  were 
entirely  adrift,  as  the  conductor  spoke  only  in  Russian.  A 
smattering  of  the  language  was  necessary  in  order  to  sup 
port  life.  I  therefore  went  to  work,  and  with  the  assist 
ance  of  an  imperfect  vocabulary  in  Murray,  learned  the 
numerals  up  to  one-hundred,  the  words  "  how  much  ?"  and 
"  immediately  ^  and  beef-steak  is  the  same  in  all  languages, 
and  "  tea "  in  Russian  (tschdl)  is  the  same  as  in  Chinese, 
had  no  difficulty  in  supplying  our  wants.  This  vocabulary, 
however,  like  most  of  those  in  guide-books,  teaches  you 
just  what  you  don't  want  to  say.  It  gives  you  the  Russian 
for  a  "floating  preserve  for  fish,"  and  "I  am  a  nobleman," 
&c.,  and  omits  such  vulgar  necessities  as  a  basin  and  towel, 
and  even  the  verb  "  to  have."  Fortunately,  the  people  at 
the  station-houses  are  tolerably  quick  of  comprehension. 
We  were  always  served  with  very  little  delay,  and  with 
dishes  of  which  no  reasonable  traveller  could  complain. 
The  prices  varied  greatly,  being  treble  at  some  stations 


318  TRAVELS    IN   POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

what  they  were  at  others.  Whether  this  was  a  sliding 
scale  of  honesty  or  of  actual  value,  I  was  unable  to  ascertain. 
All  day  we  rolled  along,  over  the  rich  plains  of  Poland, 
stopping  at  the  large  country  towns  of  Siedlce,  Miedzyrzic, 
Biala,  and  others  whose  names  the  reader  has  probably 
never  heard  and  never  could  pronounce.  The  country 
may  be  described  in  a  few  words — woods  of  pine  and 
birch,  fields  of  rye,  "rape-seed  and  turnips,  broad,  swampy 
pastures,  and  scattering  one-story  villages,  with  thatched 
roofs  and  white-washed  walls.  Sunburnt  peasants  in  the 
fields,  dressed  in  round  black  felt  caps,  dirt-colored  shirts,  and 
wide  trowsers :  Jews  in  the  villages,  disgusting  to  behold, 
with  shocking  bad  hats  of  the  stove-pipe  breed,  greasy 
love-locks  hanging  from  their  temples,  and  shabby  black 
caftans  reaching  to  their  heels.  These  people  justify  the 
former  middle  age  superstition  that  the  Jew  is  distinguished 
from  the  Christian  by  a  peculiar  bodily  odor.  You  can 
scent  them  quite  as  far  as  you  can  see  them.  Moses  would 
have  hewn  them  limb  from  limb,  for  their  foulness.  The 
worst  of  it  is,  they  hover  round  the  post-stations  and 
pounce  upon  a  stranger,  in  the  hope  of  making  something 
out  of  him,  be  it  ever  so  little.  I  was  surprised  to  find 
that  they  all  speak  a  little  German,  but  afterwards  learned 
that  they  do  more  or  less  of  smuggling,  in  the  Baltic  pro 
vinces.  "  They  are  such  a  timid  and  cowardly  race,"  said 
my  informant,  "  and  yet,  when  detected  in  the  act  of  smug 
gling,  they  will  sometimes  fight  desperately,  rather  than 
lose  what  they  have."  Many  of  them  carry  on  a  trade  in 
segars,  done  up  in  sealed  packages,  which  you  are  expected 
to  buy  without  opening. 


A   JOURNEY   THROUGH    CENTRAL   RUSSIA.  319 

The  towns  through  which  one  passes  are  built  upon  one 
model,  and  present  very  little  difference  in  their  general 
features.  In  the  centre  is  usually  a  spacious  square,  which 
serves  as  a  market  place.  The  shops  and  Government 
offices  front  upon  it,  and  broad  streets  diverge  from  the 
four  corners.  Most  of  the  houses  are  one-story,  and  built 
of  wood,  painted  red,  white  or  yellow.  Standing  in  the 
centre  of  the  square,  one  looks  over  its  low  barrier  upon 
some  groups  of  ash,  poplar  or  linden  trees,  which  rise  from 
the  gardens  beyond,  the  heavy,  half-Asiatic  spire  of  a 
church,  and  the  sky,  whose  large,  unbroken  vault  rests  upon 
the  circle  of  the  horizon.  In  summer,  when  many  of  the 
inhabitants  are  in  the  fields,  the  place  has  a  silent,  sleepy 
air,  and  you  are  glad  to  exchange  it  for  the  rippling  of 
grain,  the  shadows  of  the  dark  pines,  and  the  smell  of 
blossoming  grasses,  which  await  you  at  its  very  door. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  crossed  the  Bug,  the  eastern  frontier 
of  the  last  kingdom  of  Poland,  although  the  language  is 
heard  as  far  as  the  Dnieper,  and  the  Polish  zlots  accepted 
as  currency.  Here  is  an  immense  fortified  camp,  adjoining 
the  city  of  Brzesc.  Some  hundreds  of  soldiers  were  bath 
ing  in  the  stream  and  washing  their  clothes  at  the  same 
time.  The  fortifications  are  built  of  brick,  of  great  extent, 
but  not  of  remarkable  strength.  There  are  also  small  mili 
tary  stations  at  intervals  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
road.  The  soldiers  are  employed  in  keeping  in  order  little 
ornamental  gardens  attached  to  the  buildings,  and  these 
bits  of  gravel  walk,  thicket  and  flower-bed  are  so  many 
cheerful  oases  in  the  long  waste  of  a  half-cultivated 
country. 


320  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

For  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  we  traversed 
the  swampy  region  between  the  Bug  and  the  Dnieper. 
There  is  almost  an  uninterrupted  extent  of  marshy  land — 
varying  greatly  in  breadth,  however — from  the  Baltic  to  the 
Black  Sea.  The  streams  which  form  the  Dnieper  and  the 
Dwina,  flowing  in  contrary  directions,  are  interlaced  like 
the  fingers  of  two  clasping  hands,  so  that  there  is  in  reality 
no  watershed,  but  a  level  plateau,  over  which  the  waters 
go  wandering  as  if  in  search  of  some  accident  to  determine 
their  future  course.  In  this  region  the  villages  are  few 
and  far  apart,  and  the  rank,  dark  woods  more  frequent. 
Malignant  gnats  bit  us  at  night,  and  huge  yellow  gad-flies 
came  in  swarms  by  day,  to  madden  our  horses  and  attack 
ourselves.  The  country  was  monotonous  as  the  sea,  and 
so  close  was  the  general  resemblance  between  the  districts 
through  which  we  passed,  that  we  seemed  to  make  no 
headway  whatever.  Every  morning,  we  opened  our  eyes 
on  the  same  landscape,  or  the  same  wide,  low  village,  and 
the  same  abominable  Hebrews.  After  two  or  three  days 
of  such  travel,  we  hailed  the  first  mole-hill  of  an  elevation 
with  much  the  same  feeling  as  if  it  had  been  Mount  Blanc. 
I  could  easily  understand  why  the  Russian  peasants,  when 
they  draw  a  mountain,  place  its  summit  among  the  very 
stars. 

The  country,  nevertheless,  through  all  Central  Russia,  is 
evidently  of  great  fertility,  although,  under  an  imperfect 
system  of  cultivation,  it  does  not  yield  half  of  what  it  is 
capable.  The  same  character  of  soil,  in  England,  would  be 
a  garden.  What  Russia  greatly  needs  is  a  class  of  enter 
prising  agriculturists,  who  would  live  upon  their  land, 


A   JOURNEY   THROUGH    CENTRAL   RUSSIA.  321 

and  devote  themselves  to  its  proper  development.  Dur 
ing  the  whole  journey,  I  did  not  notice  ten  country  resi 
dences.  The  road,  however,  is  comparatively  new,  and  the 
old  highway,  via  Wilna  and  Smolensk,  which  it  has  super- 
ceded,  no  doubt  presents  a  better  picture  in  this  respect. 
Drainage,  manuring,  and  a  judicious  rotation  of  crops, 
would  work  wonders  with  such  a  mellow  and  bounteous 
soil.  Some  travellers  speak  of  the  waste  and  desolate  ap 
pearance  of  the  Russian  plains ;  the  French  describe  them 
as  a  savage  wilderness ;  but  they  are  in  fact  far  more  natu 
rally  productive  than  the  plains  of  Northern  Germany. 

The  road  to  Moscow  is  not  surpassed  by  any  highway  in 
the  world.  It  is  macadamized  for  the  whole  distance,  kept 
in  admirable  order,  deviates  but  little  from  a  right  line, 
and,  except  at  some  river-crossings,  has  no  grade  too  heavy 
for  a  railroad.  Build  six  or  eight  bridges  and  you  might 
lay  down  the  rails  upon  it,  from  Warsaw  to  Moscow.  At 
every  verst,  there  is  a  post  with  the  distance  from  both 
these  cities  and  St.  Petersburg,  and  from  the  first  station 
on  either  hand.  Each  verst,  again,  is  divided  into  fifths. 
The  station  houses  are  built  of  brick,  and  all  on  the  same 
plan.  The  house  fronts  the  road,  flanked  by  a  high  brick 
wall,  through  a  gate  in  which  you  enter  a  spacious  court 
yard,  surrounded  by  stables  and  the  dwellings  for  servants. 
In  the  main  building,  there  are  three  or  four  clean,  well- 
furnished  rooms  for  travellers,  who  find  everything  which 
they  may  need  except  beds.  The  Russians  carry  their  own 
bedding  with  them,  and  the  broad  sofas,  with  leather  cush 
ions,  make  excellent  couches.  Those  who  do  not  take  the 
diligence  are  obliged  to  have  a  padaroshna,  or  Govern- 

14* 


TRAVELS    IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

ment  order  for  horses,  from  post  to  post,  as  in  Sweden.  A 
foreigner,  to  travel  in  this  style,  must  have  his  own  vehicle, 
and,  moreover,  must  know  a  little  of  the  language. 

On  the  third  morning,  we  reached  the  town  of  Bobruisk, 
on  the  Beresina.  It  was  some  distance  further  up  the  river, 
at  the  bridge  of  Borisoff,  that  the  French  army  met  with 
such  a  terrible  disaster  during  the  retreat  from  Moscow. 
The  Beresina  is  now  a  deep,  full,  quiet  stream,  flowing  be 
tween  low,  curving  banks,  on  his  way  to  join  the  Dnieper. 
Below  the  town  are  some  beautiful  clumps  of  birch  and 
ash,  among  which  rises  the  round  red  mass  of  a  new  brick 
fort.  A  stalwart  soldier,  leaning  on  Crimean  crutches, 
begged  of  us  as  we  descended  to  the  bridge,  and  two  mus 
cular,  clean-limbed  grooms  stripped,  sprang  naked  upon 
their  horses,  and  swam  them  like  Tritons  in  the  centre  of 
the  river.  Three  more  stations  brought  us  to  the  Dnieper, 
at  the  town  of  Rogatcheff.  Here  he  is  already  a  strong 
stream,  and  the  flock  of  heavy,  flat-bottomed  barges 
moored  along  his  banks  had  no  doubt  seen  the  Black  Sea. 
The  town  is  a  small  but  lively  place.  A  stranger  is  struck 
with  the  great  width  of  the  streets  in  all  these  places, 
through  which  they  acquire  a  neat,  respectable  appearance, 
in  spite  of  the  low  houses.  The  frequency  of  fires  proba 
bly  gave  rise  to  this  method  of  building,  as  we  passed  two 
villages  which  were  more  than  half  in  ashes,  where  the  con 
flagration  had  been  stopped  by  the  road. 

After  passing  the  Dnieper,  the  marshes  cease,  and  the 
country  becomes  slightly  undulating — very  slightly,  indeed, 
but  still  perceptible  without  the  aid  of  a  theodolite.  The 
fir  is  less  and  less  frequent,  and  the  birch  increases  in  the 


A   JOURNEY    THROUGH    CENTRAL    RUSSIA.  323 

same  proportion,  so  that  before  reaching  Moscow  the 
forests  are  almost  entirely  composed  of  this  delicate,  grace 
ful,  shivering  tree— the  scantily-clothed  Dryad  of  the 
North.  Its  hues  are  always  cold,  and  where  it  abounds, 
one  cannot  have  full  faith  in  summer.  The  weather,  be 
sides,  had  changed,  and  in  place  of  the  sultry  air  of  War 
saw,  we  had  a  strong  north  wind,  with  a  temperature  of 
only  40°  in  the  mornings.  Our  overcoats  were  bearable  the 
whole  day,  and  a  thick  Scotch  plaid  was  no  unwelcome  ad 
dition  at  night.  Nevertheless,  there  was  little  difference  in 
the  soil  and  vegetation,  and  the  silver-headed  rye  rolled  in 
as  rich  waves  as  ever,  to  break  upon  the  shores  of  harvest. 
On  Friday  we  entered  Old  Russia — Holy  Russia,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  in  the  fond  veneration  of  the  people. 
The  country  became  more  thickly  populated,  and  from 
every  village  rose  a  picturesque  church,  white  as  snow,  and 
crowned  with  as  many  bright  green  domes  and  spires  as  its 
proportions  would  allow.  These  gay,  graceful  structures, 
towering  at  intervals  above  the  birchen  groves,  and  spark 
ling  in  the  sunshine,  gave  a  peculiar  charm  to  the  otherwise 
monotonous  landscape.  The  Jews,  with  their  greasy  ring 
lets,  disappeared,  Polish  money  was  refused  at  the  stations, 
and  the  peasantry  showed  the  pure  Russian  type,  in  face 
and  costume.  Every  man  of  them  wore  his  beard  unshorn, 
and  the  commonest  visage  received  a  sort  of  character  and 
dignity  thereby.  Whenever  the  diligence  stopped,  a  com 
pany  of  venerable  and  very  dirty  figures  appeared  before 
us,  bowing  incessantly  with  Oriental  gravity,  and  urging 
their  claims  to  charity  in  what  I  have  no  doubt  were  very 
choice  and  elegant  expressions.  They  were  pertinacious, 
but  not  clamorous,  and  it  was  impossible  to  look  anywhere 


324  TKAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

within  thirty  degrees  of  them,  without  occasioning  new  de 
monstrations  of  reverence  and  supplication. 

After  leaving  the  streams  of  the  Dnieper  and  coming 
upon  those  of  the  Oka,  whose  waters  flow  with  the  Volga 
to  the  far  Caspian  Sea,  the  country  can  no  longer  be  called 
a  plain.  It  is  rather  a  rolling  prairie,  like  those  of  Southern 
Wisconsin,  but  with  still  gentler  undulations.  Our  horses 
dashed  down  the  gradual  descents  at  a  mad  gallop,  which 
carried  them  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  next  rise,  and  we  fre 
quently  accomplished  fifteen  versts  within  the  hour.  On 
Saturday  morning  we  breakfasted  at  Malo  Jaroslavitz, 
where  an  obelisk  has  been  erected  to  commemorate  Murat's 
defeat,  and  in  the  afternoon  reached  the  lively  little  town 
of  Podolsk,  on  the  great  southern  highway  from  Moscow  to 
Tula  and  Orel,  and  further  to  Odessa  and  the  Crimea.  We 
were  now  within  thirty-five  versts  of  Moscow,  which  we 
were  anxious  to  see  before  dark.  Five  days  and  nights  of 
travel  had  cramped  us  a  little,  but  we  felt  capable  of  as 
much  more  upon  such  a  superb  road.  The  sun  set  upon 
the  silvery  birchen  forests,  and  the  long  swells  and  slopes 
of  grain.  Heavy  clouds  covered  the  sky,  except  along  the 
north,  where  the  lurid  yellow  twilight  moved  slowly  around 
towards  sunrise,  and  we  were  sinking  into  a  wearied  sleep, 
when  a  long  line  of  dark  towers  and  Oriental  domes  ap 
peared  in  the  distance,  drawn  sharp  and  hard  against  the 
angry  lustre.  This  was  Moscow !  Ere  long  we  descended 
into  the  valley  of  the  Moskva,  rattled  for  many  and  many 
a  verst  through  gloomy  streets,  caught  a  midnight  glimpse 
of  the  majestic  pile  of  the  Kremlin,  and  after  a  seemingly 
endless  cruize  in  a  Russian  droshky,  reached  the  welcome 
haven  of  a  good  hotel. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

A    PANORAMIC     VIEW     OF     MOSCOW. 

IT  was  Madame  de  Stael,  I  believe,  who,  on  first  seeing 
Moscow,  exclaimed:  "Voild  Rome  Tartar  e!"  This  may 
have  .been  true  before  the  destruction  of  the  ancient  city, 
but  it  would  hardly  apply  at  the  present  day.  In  its 
immense  extent  Moscow  may  well  rival  Rome,  as  in  this 
respect  it  is  surpassed  by  no  modern  capital  except  London  ; 
but,  although  its  Asiatic  character  is  quite  as  strongly 
marked  as  that  of  Constantinople,  it  is  by  no  means  Tartar. 
No  other  city  in  the  world  presents  so  cosmopolitan  an 
aspect.  The  gilded  domes  of  Lucknow — the  pagodas  of 
China — Byzantine  churches — Grecian  temples — palaces  in 
the  style  of  Versailles — heavy  inexpressive  German  build 
ings — wooden  country  cottages — glaring  American  signs — 
boulevards,  gardens,  silent  lanes,  roaring  streets,  open 
markets,  Turkish  bazaars,  French  cafes,  German  beer- 
cellars,  and  Chinese  tea-houses — all  are  found  here,  not 
grouped  exclusively  into  separate  cantons,  but  mixed  and 
jumbled  together,  until  Europe  and  Asia,  the  Past  and 


326  TRAVELS    IN   POLAND    AND   KUSSIA. 

Present,  the  Old  World  and  the  New,  are  so  blended 
and  confounded,  that  it  is  impossible  to  say  which  pre 
dominates.  Another  city  so  bizarre  and  so  picturesque  as 
Moscow  does  not  exist.  To  call  it  Russian  would  be  too 
narrow  a  distinction :  it  suggests  the  world. 

Its  position,  near  the  imaginary  line  where  one  continent 
is  merged  into  the  other,  accounts  for  this.  The  waters  of 
the  Moskva  seek  an  Asiatic  Sea,  yet  the  nearest  ports  of 
the  city  are  those  of  Central  Europe.  Its  fibres  of  com 
merce  branch  eastward  across  the  Tartar  steppes  to  Mon 
golia  and  China:  southward  to  Samarcand  and  Bokhara, 
to  Cashmere  and  Persia ;  northward  to  Archangel  and  the 
Polar  Ocean ;  and  on  the  west,  to  all  the  rest  of  Europe. 
The  race  who  founded  it  came  from  the  south-east,  and 
brought  with  them  the  minaret  and  the  swelling  Oriental 
dome,  the  love  of  gilding  and  glaring  colors ;  its  religion 
came  from  Constantinople,  with  the  Byzantine  pillar  and 
the  Greek  cross ;  and  the  founder  of  Russian  power  learned 
his  trade  in  the  West.  On  every  one  of  its  thousand  spires 
and  domes  glitters  the  crescent  (as  a  token  that  they  were 
once  in  the  hands  of  the  Tartars),  but  now  surmounted  by 
the  triumphant  cross.  At  its  southern  end  the  muezzin 
calls  to  prayer  from  the  roof  of  his  mosque,  while  at  the 
northern,  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive  announces  the 
departure  of  the  train  for  St.  Petersburg. 

When  you  overlook  the  city  from  an  elevated  point,  it 
loses  nothing  of  its  originality  in  the  broader  compass  of 
your  vision.  On  the  contrary,  many  clashing  impressions, 
naturally  arising  from  the  incongruity  of  its  features,  are 
forgotten,  and  the  vast,  dazzling  panorama  assumes  a  grand 


A   PANORAMIC   VIEW    OF   MOSCOW.  327 

dramatic  character.  It  is  an  immense  show,  gotten  up  for 
a  temporary  effect,  and  you  can  scarcely  believe  that  it  may 
not  be  taken  to  pieces  and  removed  as  soon  as  its  purpose 
has  been  attained.  Whence  this  array  of  grass-green 
roofs,  out  of  which  rise  by  hundreds  spires  and  towers, 
stranger  and  more  fantastic  than  ever  were  builded  in  a 
mad  architect's  dream  ?  Whence  these  gilded  and  silvered 
domes,  which  blind  your  eyes  with  reflected  suns,  and 
seem  to  dance  and  totter  in  their  own  splendor,  as  you 
move  ?  It  can  be  no  city  of  trade  and  government,  of 
pleasure  and  scandal,  of  crime  and  religion,  which  you  look 
upon ;  it  was  built  when  the  Arabian  Nights  were  true, 
and  the  Prince  of  the  Hundred  Islands  reigns  in  its  central 
palace. 

And  yet  there  are  few  cities  in  Europe  (Berlin  excepted) 
which  have  not  greater  advantages  of  position  than  Mos 
cow.  Accident  or  whim  seems  to  have  suggested  the 
choice  of  the  site  to  its  founders.  The  little  Moskva  is  not 
navigable  in  summer  for  steamers  drawing  eighteen  inches 
of  water.  It  is  an  insignificant  tributary,  not  of  the  Volga, 
but  of  the  Oka,  which  falls  into  the  Volga  at  Nijni- 
Novgorod,  and  here  is  the  spot  pointed  at  by  Nature  for 
the  commercial  emporium  of  Central  Russia  and  Western 
Asia.  But  in  the  days  of  Vladimir,  this  point  was  too  near 
the  Tartars,  and  though  Peter  the  Great  at  one  time 
seriously  designed  to  make  it  his  capital,  his  rivalry  with 
Sweden,  and  his  desire  to  approach  Europe  rather  than 
Asia,  finally  prevailed,  and  St.  Petersburg  arose  from  the 
Finland  swamps.  Moscow,  since  then,  has  lost  the  rank 
and  advantages  of  a  capital,  although  it  continues  to  be 


328  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   EUSSIA. 

the  Holy  City  of  the  Russians,  and  the  favorite  residence 
of  many  of  the  ancient  noble  families.  The  rapid  growth 
of  the  manufacturing  interest  in  this  part  of  Russia  has 
recently  given  it  a  start,  but  its  growth  is  slow,  and  its 
population  (350,000)  is  probably  not  much  greater  than  in 
the  days  of  Ivan  or  Michael  Romanoff. 

The  Moskva,  in  passing  through  the  city,  divides  it  into 
two  unequal  parts,  about  three-fourths  occupying  the 
northern  bank  and  one-fourth  the  southern.  The  river  is 
so  tortuous  that  it  may  be  said  to  flow  toward  all  points  of 
the  compass  before  reaching  the  Kremlin,  whence  its  course 
is  eastward  toward  the  Oka.  In  the  centre,  and  rising 
directly  from  the  water,  is  the  isolated  hill  of  the  Kremlin, 
a  natural  mound,  about  a  mile  in  circumference,  and  less 
than  a  hundred  feet  in  height.  On  either  side  of  it,  the 
northern  bank  ascends  very  gradually  for  the  distance  of  a 
mile  or  more,  where  it  melts  into  the  long  undulations  of 
the  country.  On  the  southern* side  of  the  Moskva,  at  the 
south-western  extremity  of  the  city,  are  the  Sparrow  Hills, 
which,  running  nearly  due  east  and  west,  form  a  chord  to 
the  great  winding  curve  of  the  river,  and  inclose  the  whole 
southern  portion  of  Moscow,  which  is  built  on  the  level 
bottom  between  it  and  their  bases.  These  hills  are  steep 
and  abrupt  on  the  northern  side,  and  though  rising  less 
than  two  hundred  feet  above  the  water,  overtop  every 
other  elevation,  far  and  near.  Every  stranger  who  wishes 
to  see  the  panorama  of  Moscow  should  first  mount  the 
tower  of  Ivan  Veliki,  on  the  Kremlin,  and  then  make  an 
excursion  to  the  Sparrow  Hills. 

The  conflagration  of  1812,  though,  with  the  exception  of 


A   PANORAMIC   VIEW    OF   MOSCOW.  329 

the  IZitai  G-orod,  or  Chinese  City,  which  wholly  escaped, 
it  left  scarcely  fifty  houses  standing,  contributed  very  little 
to  modernize  the  aspect  of  Moscow.  A  few  of  the  princi 
pal  streets  were  widened,  and  two  concentric  circles  of 
boulevards  introduced  in  the  restoration  of  the  city,  but 
most  of  the  old  streets  and  lanes  were  rebuilt  on  the  same 
plan,  and  in  much  the  same  character  as  before.  Inside  the 
outer  boulevard,  which  embraces  the  business  portion  of 
the  city,  the  houses  are  almost  exclusively  of  brick,  covered 
with  stucco,  and  painted  yellow,  light  blue,  pink,  or  pale 
red.  Outside  of  it,  for  many  a  verst,  stretch  the  rows  of 
private  residences,  interspersed  with  garden  plots,  while 
the  outskirts  are  made  up  of  the  houses  of  the  poorer 
classes,  one-story  cottages  of  boards  or  logs,  gaudily  painted, 
as  in  the  country  villages.  Many  of  the  better  dwellings 
are  also  of  wood,  which  material  is  recommended  both  by 
its  cheapness  and  comfort.  Stone  is  scarce  and  dear,  and 
there  does  not  seem  to  be  sufficient  to  pave  the  streets  pro 
perly.  A  shallow  bed  of  small  cobble-stones,  so  lightly 
rolled  that  it  soon  becomes  uneven,  jolts  the  life  out  of 
you,  even  in  summer,  but  in  the  spring  it  is  said  to  be  far 
worse. 

The  diameter  of  the  city,  from  north  to  south,  cannot 
be  less  than  eight  miles,  while  its  circumference  will  fall 
little  short  of  twenty-five.  Its  low  houses,  broad,  rambling 
streets,  large  interior  courts,  market-places,  and  gardens, 
account  for  this  extent.  It  is  truly  a  city  of  magnificent 
distances,  and  its  people  have  their^own  peculiar  ideas  of 
what  is  near  and  what  is  far.  I  was  greatly  taken  in  until 
I  discovered  this  fact.  "  Close  at  hand "  proved  to  be  a 


330  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   EUSSIA. 

mile  off,  and  when  one  man  says  of  another,  "We  are 
neighbors,"  you  may  depend  that  they  live  an  hour's  walk 
apart.  Another  difficulty  is,  there  are  so  few  right  lines, 
that  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  go  directly  from  one  given 
point  to  another.  Your  course  is  either  a  right  angle,  a 
semicircle,  an  elliptical  curve,  or  the  letter  S.  I  have  had 
considerable  practice  in  orientiren,  but  have  never  yet  had 
so  much  trouble  to  learn  the  topography  of  a  town.  It  is 
full  of  those  scarcely  perceptible  curves  and  deflections 
which  gradually  carry  you  out  of  your  direction,  while  you 
imagine  you  are  going  straight ,  ahead.  If  you  have  ever 
tried  to  trundle  a  wheelbarrow  to  a  mark  blindfold,  you 
will  know  how  easily  one  may  be  baffled  in  this  way. 

Just  this  circumstance,  however,  prolongs  the  impression 
of  novelty,  which,  to  an  old  traveller  like  myself,  is  a  rare 
charm.  There  are  reminiscences  from  all  parts  of  the  world 
which  I  have  already  seen,  but,  in  addition,  a  stamp  and  cha 
racter  of  picturesque  incongruity  entirely  peculiar  to  Mos 
cow.  But  two  streets — the  Twerskaia  Oulitza,  leading  from 
the  Kremlin  towards  the  St.  Petersburg  gate,  and  the  I£uz- 
netskoi  Most,  or  Smiths'  Bridge — have  a  busy  metropolitan 
aspect, 'and  preserve  the  same  character  throughout  their 
whole  extent ;  the  others  are  full  of  transformations  and 
surprises.  You  pass  between  palaces,  with  lofty  porticos, 
and  find  yourself  in  a  country  village ;  still  further,  you 
enter  a  thronged  market-place ;  beyond  are  churches  with 
blue  domes,  bespangled  with  golden  stars;  then  rows  of 
shops,  displaying  fashionable  European  goods  and  wares. 
These  cease  suddenly,  and  you  are  in  the  midst  of  gardens, 
but  not  a  hundred  paces  from  their  green  seclusion  you  find 


A   PANORAMIC   VIEW    OF   MOSCOW.  331 

yourself  in  the  bustle  of  an  Oriental  bazaar.  In  Moscow 
no  man,  except  an  old  inhabitant,  knows  what  a  street  may 
bring  forth. 

The  population,  also,  exhibits  a  corresponding  diversity. 
The  European  gentlemen,  with  cylinder  hats  and  tight  kid 
gloves,  do  not  appear  more  out  of  place  under  those  cres 
cent-tipped  domes  of  gold  than  the  sallow  Persians  and 
silken-robed  Armenians  beside  yonder  French  palace.  The 
Russian  peasant,  with  his  thick  brown  beard,  red  shirt,  and 
wide  trowsers  stuck  into  his  boots,  elbows  you  on  the  nar 
row  sidewalk.  After  him  comes  a  lady,  with  the  smallest 
of  bonnets  and  the  largest  of  crinolines,  respectfully  fol 
lowed  by  a  man-servant,  whose  presence  attests  her  respec 
tability.  Alone,  she  would  be  subject  to  suspicion.  A 
fair  Circassian,  with  blue  eyes  and  the  build  of  an  Adonis, 
next  meets  you ;  then,  perhaps,  a  Tartar  in  his  round  cap 
of  black  lamb's  wool,  or  a  Chinese,  resembling  a  faulty 
image  of  yellow  clay,  cast  aside  before  the  true  Adam  was 
made ;  then  European  bagmen,  smirking  and  impertinent ; 
a  Russian  nurse,  with  a  head-dress  like  the  spread  tail  of  a 
red  peacock  ;  a  priest  in  flowing  hair  and  black  cassock ;  a 
money-changer,  whose  beardless  face  proclaims  his  neuter 
gender:  a  company  of  istvostchiks  (hackmen)  in  squat 
black  hats  and  long  blue  caftans ;  officers  in  the  imperial 
uniform;  firemen  in  gilded  helmets,  saintly  old  beggars, 
children  in  natural  costume,  fallen  women,  gypsies,  cossacks 
— all  succeed  each  other  in  endless  and  ever-changing  pro 
cession. 

The  best  point  for  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  city  is  from 
the  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki,  on  the  Kremlin.  This  is  a  belfry, 


332  TRAVELS    IX   POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

200  feet  high,  surmounted  by  a  golden  dome.  When  you 
have  passed  the  Tzar  Kolokol,  or  King  of  Bells,  which  rests 
on  a  granite  pedestal  at  its  base,  and  have  climbed  through 
some  half  a  dozen  bell  chambers  to  the  upper  gallery,  you 
see  nearly  the  whole  of  Moscow — for  the  northern  part 
goes  beyond  your  horizon.  On  all  other  sides  it  stretches 
far,  far  away,  leaving  only  a  narrow  ring  of  dark-green 
woods  between  it  and  the  sky.  The  Moskva  twists  like  a 
wounded  snake  at  your  feet,  his  little  stream  almost  swal 
lowed  up  in  the  immense  sea  of  the  pale-green  roofs.  This 
vast  green  ring  is  checkered  with  the  pink  and  yellow  fronts 
of  the  buildings  which  rise  above  the  general  level,  while 
all  over  it,  far  and  near,  singly  or  in  clusters,  shoot  up  the 
painted,  reed-like  towers,  and  open  to  the  day  the  golden 
and  silver  blossoms  of  their  domes.  How  the  sun  flashes 
back,  angrily  or  triumphantly,  from  the  dazzling  hemi 
spheres,  until  this  northern  capital  shines  in  more  than 
tropic  fire !  What  a  blaze,  and  brilliance,  and  rainbow 
variegation  under  this  pale-blue  sky ! 

The  view  from  the  Sparrow  Hills  is  still  more  beautiful. 
You  are  inclosed  with  a  belt  of  birch  and  pine  woods. 
Under  you  the  river  reflects  the  sky,  and  beyond  it  sweep 
blossoming  meadows  up  to  the  suburban  gardens,  over 
which  rises  the  long  line  of  the  gilded  city,  whose  nearest 
domes  seem  to  flash  in  your  very  face,  and  whose  farthest 
towers  fade  against  the  sky.  Their  long  array  fills  one- 
third  of  the  horizon.  I  counted  between  five  and  six  hun 
dred,  one-third  of  which  were  either  gilded  or  silvered. 
The  dome  of  the  new  cathedral,  as  large  as  that  of  St. 
Paul's,  London,  burned  in  the  centre  like  a  globe  of  flame — 


A   PANORAMIC   VIEW    OF    MOSCOW.  333 

like  the  sun  itself,  with  stars  and  constellations  sparkling 
around  it  far  and  wide.  From  this  point  the  advanced 
guard  of  Napoleon's  army  first  saw  Moscow — a  vast,  silent, 
glittering  city,  fired  by  the  sunset,  and  with  the  seeds  of 
a  more  awful  splendor  in  its  heart.  No  wonder  that  the 
soldiers  stood  still,  by  a  spontaneous  impulse,  grounded  their 
arms,  and  exclaimed,  as  one  man  :  "  Moscow  !  Moscow !" 

I  saw  this  wonderful  picture  on  a  still  sultry,  afternoon. 
The  woods  and  meadows,  the  thousand  towers  of  the  city, 
were  bathed  in  bright  sunshine ;  but  beyond  the  latter 
lowered,  black  as  ink,  a  pile  of  thunder-clouds.  The 
threatening  background  rose,  letting  fall  a  shifting  curtain 
of  dark  gray,  from  the  feet  of  which  whirled  clouds  of 
tawny  dust,  veiling  the  splendor  of  the  distant  domes.  As 
the  storm  advanced,  columns  of  dust  arose,  here  and  there, 
all  over  the  city ;  a  shadow,  as  of  night,  crept  across  it, 
leaving  only  the  nearer  spires  to  blaze  with  double  splen 
dor  against  the  black  chaos.  Presently  the  more  distant 
portions  of  the  city  were  blotted  out.  The  brighter  towers 
remained  for  a  time  visible,  shining  spectrally  through  the 
falling  cloud,  and  seeming  to  be  removed  far  back  into  the 
depths  of  the  atmosphere.  The  sound  of  hail  and  rain, 
crashing  on  the  metal  roofs,  reached  our  ears ;  the  last 
golden  dome  stood  yet  a  moment  in  the  sunshine,  and  then 
everything  swam  in  a  chaos  of  dust  and  storm.  So  veil  by 
veil  fell  over  the  magical  scene,  and  as  the  whirlwind 
reached  us,  a  void,  black  and  impenetrable,  hid  it  from  our 
eyes.  We  had  again  witnessed  the  destruction  of  Moscow. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

THE     KREMLIN. 

IF  Moscow  is  the  Mecca  of  the  Russians,  the  Kremlin  is  its 
Kaaba.  Within  its  ancient  walls  is  gathered  all  that  is 
holiest  in  religion  or  most  cherished  in  historical  tradition. 
Kiev  and  Novgorod  retain  but  a  dim  halo  of  their  former 
sanctity ;  their  glory  lies  wholly  in  the  Past.  The  king 
doms  of  which  they  were  the  centres  had  ceased  to  exist 
before  the  foundation  of  Russian  power.  On  the  hill  of 
the  Kremlin  was  first  planted  that  mighty  tree  whose 
branches  now  overshadow  two  Continents.  The  fact  that 
Tartar,  Swede,  and  Frenchman  have  laid  their  axes  at  its 
very  root,  without  being  able  to  lop  off  a  single  bough, 
though  the  world  awaited  its  fall,  only  endears  this  spot 
the  more  to  the  Russian  people,  and  strengthens  their 
superstitious  faith  in  the  Divine  protection  vouchsafed  to  it. 
The  Tartar  planted  his  crescent  on  its  holy  spires,  and  there 
it  still  glitters,  but  under  the  conquering  cross.  Napoleon 
housed  in  its  ancient  palace,  and  a  thousand  of  his  cannon 
are  now  piled  in  the  court-yard.  Its  very  gates  are  pro- 


THE   KREMLIN.  335 

tected  by  miracles,  and  the  peasant  from  a  distant  province 
enters  them  with  much  the  same  feeling  as  a  Jewish  pilgrim 
enters  the  long-lost  City  of  Zion. 

The  Kremlin  hill  stands  very  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the 
city.  It  is  triangular  in  form,  the  longest  side  facing  the 
Moskva,  about  a  mile  in  circumference  and  somewhat  less 
than  a  hundred  feet  in  height.  Adjoining  it  on  the  east  is 
the  Kitai  Gorod  (Chinese  City),  still  inclosed  within  its 
ancient  walls.  The  original  walls  of  the  Kremlin  were 
built  by  Demetrius  Donskoi,  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and 
though  frequently  repaired,  if  not  wholly  rebuilt,  since  that 
time,  they  still  retain  their  ancient  character.  Rising 
directly  from  the  Moskva,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  on  the 
southern  side,  they  climb  it  at  either  end,  and  crown  it  on 
the  north.  Thus,  when  you  stand  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river,  you  see  before  you  the  long  notched  wall,  inter 
rupted  with  picturesque  Tartar  towers,  like  an  antique  frame 
to  the  green  slope  of  the  hill,  whose  level  top  bears  aloft 
its  crown  of  palaces,  churches,  and  towers.  This  is  the  only 
general  view  one  gets  of  the  Kremlin,  although  its  clustered 
golden  domes  are  visible  from  almost  every  part  of  the  city. 
There  was  formerly  a  lake-like  moat  around  the  northern 
side  of  the  hill;  but  Alexander  I.  drained  and  planted  it, 
and  it  is  now  a  pleasant  garden. 

The  main  entrance  is  at  the  north-eastern  angle,  through 
a  double-towered  portal,  called  the  Sunday  Gate.  As  I 
propose  acting  as  a  valet  de  place  for  my  fellow-traveller- 
readers,  I  shall  describe  to  them  the  notable  sights  of  the 
Kremlin,  in  the  order  in  which  they  meet  us.  We  shall 
not  enter,  therefore,  without  pausing  a  moment  before  this 


336  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

gate,  to  inspect  more  closely  a  little  chapel,  or  rather 
shrine,  built  against  the  wall,  between  two  archways.  Be 
fore  the  shrine  is  a  platform,  thronged  with  a  bare-headed 
crowd,  .whose  heads  are  continually  bobbing  up  and  down 
as  they  cross  themselves.  Every  one  who  passes,  going  in 
or  out,  does  the  same,  and  many  an  officer,  grave  citizen, 
or  resplendent  lady  descends  from  the  droshky,  presses 
through  the  throng,  and  falls  on  his  or  her  knees  before  the 
holy  picture  inside  the  sanctuary.  We  press  in,  among 
hackmen,  beggars,  merchants,  and  high  officials,  all  so  in 
tent  on  their  manipulations  that  they  do  not  even  see  us, 
and  finally  reach  a  niche  lighted  with  silver  lamps,  before 
a  screen  dazzling  with  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones.  A 
high-born  lady  in  silk  and  lace,  and  a  lousy-bearded  serf 
are  kneeling  side  by  side,  and  kissing  with  passionate  devo 
tion  the  glass  cover  over  a  Byzantine  mother  and  child,  of 
dark  mulatto  complexion,  whose  hands  and  faces  alone  are 
visible  through  the  gilded  and  jeweled  mantles.  This  is  the 
"  Iberian  Mother  of  God " — a  miraculous  picture,  which, 
after  working  wonders  on  Georgia  and  on  Mount  Athos, 
has  for  the  last  two  hundred  years  been  the  protectress  of 
the  Moscovites.  Her  aid  is  invoked  by  high  and  low,  in 
all  the  circumstances  of  life,  and  I  doubt  whether  any  other 
shrine  in  the  world  is  the  witness  of  such  general  and  so 
much  real  devotion. 

Once  within  the  Sunday  Gate,  we  see  before  us  the  long 
Krasnoi  Ploshad,  or  Red  Square  stretching  southward  to 
the  bank  of  the  Moskva.  Close  on  our  right  towers  the 
gray  wall  of  the  Kremlin — for,  although  on  the  hill,  we  are 
not  yet  fairly  within  the  sacred  citadel — while  on  the  left, 


THE   KKEMLIN.  337 

parallel  to  it,  is  the  long,  low  front  of  the  Gostinnoi  Dvor, 
or  Great  Bazaar.  In  the  centre  of  the  square  is  a  bronze 
monument  to  Minim  and  Pojarski,  the  Russian  heroes, 
who  in  1610  aroused  the  people,  stormed  Moscow,  and 
drove  out  Yladislas  of  Poland,  who  had  been  called  to  the 
throne  by  the  Boyards.  But  for  this  act  the  relative 
destiny  of  the  two  powers  might  have  been  reversed. 
The  Russians,  therefore,  deservedly  honor  the  memory  of 
the  sturdy  butcher  of  Nijni  Novgorod,  who,  like  the 
Roman  Ciceronaccio,  seems  to  have  been  the  master-spirit 
of  the  Revolution.  He  is  represented  as  addressing  Po 
jarski,  the  General,  who  sits  before  him,  listening,  one  hand 
on  his  sword.  The  figures  are  colossal,  and  full  of  fire  and 
vigor.  A  short  distance  beyond  this  monument  is  a  small 
circular  platform  of  masonry,  which  is  said  to  have  been  a 
throne,  or  public  judgment-seat,  of  the  early  Tzars. 

Proceeding  down  the  square  to  its  southern  extremity, 
we  halt  at  last  before  the  most  astonishing  structure  our 
eyes  have  ever  beheld.  What  is  it  ? — a  church,  a  pavilion, 
or  an  immense  toy  ?  All  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  all  the 
forms  and  combinations  which  straight  and  curved  lines  can 
produce,  are  here  compounded.  It  seems  to  be  the  product 
of  some  architectural  kaleidoscope,  in  which  the  most  in 
congruous  things  assume  a  certain  order  and  system,  for 
surely  such  another  bewildering  pile  does  not  exist.  It  is 
not  beautiful,  for  Beauty  requires  at  least  a  suggestion  of 
symmetry,  and  here  the  idea  of  proportion  or  adaptation 
is  wholly  lost.  Neither  is  the  effect  offensive,  because  the 
maze  of  colors,  in  which  red,  green,  and  gold,  predominate, 

attracts,  and  cajoles  the  eye.    The  purposed  incongruity  of 

15 


338  TRAVELS    IN    POLAND    AND    KUSSIA. 

the  building  is  seen  in  the  minutest  details,  and  where  there 
is  an  accidental  resemblance  in  form,  it  is  balanced  by  a 
difference  in  color. 

This  is  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Basil,  built  during  the  reign 
of  Ivan  the  Terrible,  who  is  said  to  have  been  so  charmed 
with  the  work,  that  he  caused  the  eyes  of  the  architect  to 
be  blinded,  to  prevent  him  from  ever  building  another 
such.  The  same  story,  however,  is  told  of  various  build 
ings,  clocks,  and  pieces  of  mechanism,  in  Europe,  and  is 
doubtless  false.  Examining  the  Cathedral  more  closely, 
we  find  it  to  be  an  agglomeration  of  towers,  no  two  of 
which  are  alike,  either  in  height,  shape,  or  any  other  par 
ticular.  Some  are  round,  some  square,  some  hexagonal, 
some  octagonal :  one  ends  in  a  pyramidal  spire,  another  in 
a  cone,  and  others  in  bulging  domes  of  the  most  fantastic 
pattern — twisted  in  spiral  bands  of  yellow  and  green  like 
an  ancient  Moslem  turban,  vertically  ribbed  with  green  and 
silver,  checkered  with  squares  of  blue  and  gold,  covered 
with  knobbed  scales,  like  a  pine-cone,  or  with  overlapping 
leaves  of  crimson,  purple,  gold,  and  green.  Between  the 
bases  of  these  towers  galleries  are  introduced,  which,  again, 
differ  in  style  and  ornament  as  much  as  the  towers  them 
selves.  The  interior  walls  are  covered  with  a  grotesque 
maze  of  painting,  consisting  of  flower-pots,  thistles,  roses, 
vines,  birds,  beasts,  and  scroll-work,  twined  together  in 
inextricable  confusion,  as  we  often  see  in  Byzantine  capitals 
and  friezes. 

The  interior  of  the  Cathedral  is  no  less  curious  than  the 
outside.  Every  tower  incloses  a  chapel,  so  that  twelve  or 
fifteen  saints  here  have  their  shrines  under  one  roof,  yet 


THE    KREMLIN.  339 

enjoy  the  tapers,  the  incense,  and  the  prayers  of  their  wor 
shippers  in  private,  no  one  interfering  with  the  other.  The 
chapels,  owing  to  their  narrow  bases  and  great  height,  re 
semble  flues.  Their  sides  are  covered  with  sacred  frescoes, 
and  all  manner  of  ornamental  painting  on  a  golden  ground, 
and  as  you  look  up  the  diminishing  shaft,  the  colossal  face 
of  Christ,  the  Virgin,  or  the  protecting  Saint,  stares  down 
upon  you  from  the  hollow  of  the  capping  dome.  The  cen 
tral  tower  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high,  while  the 
diameter  of  the  chapel  inside  it  cannot  be  more  than  thirty 
feet  at  the  base.  I  cannot  better  describe  this  singular 
structure  than  by  calling  it  the  Apotheosis  of  Chimneys. 

Let  us  now  turn  back  a  few  steps,  and  pass  through  the 
Kremlin  wall  by  the  Spass  Vorota,  or  Gate  of  the  Re 
deemer.  This  is  even  more  peculiarly  sacred  than  the 
chapel  of  the  Iberian  Mother.  Over  the  hollow  arch  hangs 
a  picture  of  the  Saviour,  which  looks  with  benignity  upon 
the  Russians,  but  breathes  fire  and  thunder  upon  their  foes. 
The  Tartars,  so  says  tradition,  have  been  driven  back  again 
and  again  from  this  gate  by  miraculous  resistance,  and, 
though  the  French  entered  at  last,  all  their  attempts  to 
blow  it  up  were  in  vain.  The  other  entrance,  the  Gate  of 
St.  Nicholas  has  also  its  picture,  but  of  lesser  sanctity. 
Here  the  French  succeeded  in  cracking  the  arch,  as  far  as 
the  picture-frame,  where  the  rent  suddenly  stopped.  No 
man  dare  pass  through  the  Gate  of  the  Redeemer  without 
uncovering  his  head — not  even  the  Emperor.  The  com 
mon  Russians  commence  at  twenty  paces  off,  and  very 
few  of  them  pass  through  the  Red  Square,  on  their  way  to 
and  from  the  Moskva,  without  turning  towards  the  Gate, 


340  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

bowing,  and  crossing  themselves.  This  is  not  the  only 
shrine  in  Moscow  whose  holiness  irradiates  a  wide  circle 
around  it.  I  have  frequently  seen  men  performing  their 
devotions  in  the  market-place  or  the  middle  of  the  street, 
and,  by  following  the  '  direction  of  their  eyes,  have  dis 
covered,  at  a  considerable  distance,  the  object  of  reverence. 
At  last  we  tread  the  paved  court  of  the  Kremlin.  Before 
us  rises  the  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki,  whose  massive,  sturdy 
Avails  seem  to  groan  under  its  load  of  monster  bells.  Be 
yond  it  are  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Michael,  the  Church  of  the 
Assumption,  and  the  ancient  church  of  the  Tzars,  all  crowded 
with  tiaras  of  gilded  domes.  To  the  right  rises  another 
cluster  of  dark-blue,  pear-shaped  domes,  over  the  House  of 
the  Holy  Synod,  while  the  new  Palace  (Granovitaya  Palata), 
with  its  heavy  French  front  and  wings,  above  which 

"  The  light  aerial  gallery,  golden -railed, 
Burns  like  a  fringe  of  fire," 

fills  up  the  background.  The  Tartar  towers  of  the  Krem 
lin  wall  shoot  up,  on  our  left,  from  under  the  edge  of  the 
platform  whereon  we  stand,  and  away  and  beyond  them 
glitters  the  southern  part  of  the  wonderful  city — a  vast 
semicircle  of  red,  green,  and  gold.  I  know  not  when  this 
picture  is  most  beautiful — when  it  blinds  you  in  the  glare 
of  sunshine,  when  the  shadows  of  clouds  soften  its  piercing 
colors  and  extinguish  half  its  reflected  fires,  when  evening 
wraps  it  in  a  violet  mist,  repainting  it  with  sober  tints,  or 
when  it  lies  pale  and  gray,  yet  sprinkled  with  points  of  sil 
ver  light,  under  the  midnight  moon. 

At  the  foot  of  the  tower  stands  on  a  granite  pedestal  the 


THE  KREMLIN.  341 

Tzar  Kolokol,  or  Emperor  of  Bells,  whose  renown  is  world 
wide.  It  was  cast  by  order  of  the  Empress  Anne  in  1730, 
but  was  broken  seven  years  afterward,  through  the  burn 
ing  of  the  wooden  tower  in  which  it  hung.  It  is  a  little 
over  21  feet  in  hight,  22  feet  in  diameter  at  the  bottom, 
weighs  120  tons,  and  the  estimated  value  of  the  gold,  sil 
ver,  and  copper  contained  in  it  is  $1,500,000.  In  one  of  the 
lower  stories  of  the  tower  hangs  another  bell  cast  more 
than  a  century  before  the  Tzar  Kolokol,  and  weighing  64 
tons.  Its  iron  tongue  is  swung  from  side  to  side  by  the 
united  exertions  of  three  men.  It  is  only  rung  thrice  a 
year,  and  when  it  speaks  all  other  bells  are  silent.  To  those 
who  stand  near  the  tower,  the  vibration  of  the  air  is  said 
to  be  like  that  which  follows  the  simultaneous  discharge  of 
a  hundred  cannon.  In  the  other  stones  hang  at  least  forty 
or  fifty  bells,  varying  in  weight  from  36  tons  to  a  thousand 
pounds:  some  of  them  are  one-third  silver.  When  they 
all  sound  at  once,  as  on  Easter  morn,  the  very  tower  must 
rock  on  its  foundation.  In  those  parts  of  Russia  where  the 
Eastern  Church  is  predominant,  no  other  sect  is  allowed  to 
possess  bells.  In  Austria  the  same  prohibition  is  extended 
to  the  Protestant  churches.  The  sound  of  the  bell  is  a  part 
of  the  act  of  worship,  and  therefore  no  heterodox  tongue, 
though  of  iron,  must  be  permitted  to  preach  false  doctrine 
to  half  the  city. 

The  Empress  Anne  seems  to  have  had  a  fondness  for  mon 
ster  castings.  Turning  to  the  right  into  an  adjoining  court 
yard,  we  behold  a  tremendous  piece  of  artillery,  familiarly 
known  as  the  "  pocket-piece  "  of  this  Tzarina.  The  diameter 
of  the  bore  is  three  feet,  but  it  is  evident  that  the  gun 


342  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

never  could  have  been  used.  It  was  no  doubt  made  for 
show,  from  the  bronze  of  captured  cannon.  In  the  same 
court  are  arranged  the  spoils  of  1812,  consisting  of  nearly 
a  thousand  cannon,  French  and  German.  They  are  mostly 
small  field  pieces,  and  hence  make  but  little  display,  in 
spite  of  their  number.  The  Turkish  and  Persian  guns, 
some  of  which  are  highly  ornamented,  occupy  the  opposite 
side  of  the  court,  and  are  much  the  finest  of  all  the  tro 
phies  here. 

We  will  now  enter  the  churches  in  the  palace  court. 
They  are  but  of  modern  dimensions,  and  very  plain,  out 
wardly,  except  in  their  crowns  of  far-shining  golden  domes. 
Undoubtedly  they  were  once  painted  in  the  style  of  the 
Cathedral  of  St.  Basil,  but  the  rainbow  frescoes  are  now 
covered  with  a  uniform  coat  of  whitewash.  One  is  there 
fore  all  the  more  dazzled  by  the  pomp  and  glare  of  the  inte 
rior.  The  walls,  the  five  domes,  resting  on  four  tall  pillars 
at  their  intersections,  the  pillars  themselves,  everything  but 
the  floor,  is  covered  with  a  coating  of  flashing  gold ;  the 
ikonostast,  or  screen  before  the  Holy  of  Holies,  is  of  gilded 
silver  and  rises  to  the  roof;  the  altars  are  of  massive  silver, 
and  the  shrine-pictures  are  set  in  a  blaze  of  diamonds, 
emeralds,  and  rubies.  A  multitude  of  saints  are  painted  on 
the  walls,  and  seem  to  float  in  a  golden  sky.  And  not 
saints  alone,  but — strange  to  say — classic  philosophers  and 
historians.  Thucydides  and  Plutarch,  in  company  with  Sts. 
Anthony  and  Jerome  !  There  are  said  to  be  2,300  figures 
in  this  church,  which  is  much  more  than  the  number  of 
worshippers  who  can  find  place  within  it.  I  have  been 
there  on  Sunday,  when  it  was  thronged,  and  really  there 


THE   KREMLIN.  343 

was  less  diversity  of  visage,  costume,  and  character  among 
the  pictures  above  than  among  the  human  beings  below. 
It  was  a  wonderful  crowd !  I  could  have  picked  out  the 
representatives  of  fifty  nations  and  the  facial  stamp  of  three 
centuries.  The  singing  was  sublime.  The  choir  was  un 
seen,  behind  the  silver  screen,  and  the  sweetness  and  purity 
of  the  boy  sopranos  swelled  and  sank  like  a  chorus  of 
angels  heard  through  the  fitful  gusts  of  a  storm.  Devo 
tional  music  nowhere  receives  such  glorious  expression  as 
in  the  Russian  churches. 

The  Cathedral  of  the  Archangel  Michael,  but  a  few  paces 
distant  from  that  of  the  Assumption,  resembles  it  in  its  in 
ternal  structure.  It  is  more  dimly  lighted,  however,  the 
gold  is  not  so  glaring,  and,  in  place  of  the  army  of  saints, 
there  are  large  frescoes  of  Heaven,  Hell,  Judgment,  &c. 
On  the  floor,  arranged  in  rows,  are  the  sarcophagi  of  the 
early  Tzars,  from  Ivan  I.  to  Alexis,  father  of  Peter  the 
Great.  They  are  covered  with  dusty,  mouldering  palls  of 
cloth  or  velvet,  each  one  inscribed  with  his  name.  In  the 
middle  of  the  church  in  a  splendid  silver  coffin,  is  the  body 
of  a  boy  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  which  is  universally 
believed  to  be  that  of  the  young  Demetrius,  the  last  prince 
of  the  race  of  Rurik,  who  was  put  to  death  by  Boris 
Gudonoff.  The  lid  of  the  coffin  is  open,  and  on  the  inner 
side  is  a  portrait  of  the  boy,  in  a  frame  of  massive  gold 
studded  with  jewels.  The  body  is  wrapped  in  cloth  of 
gold,  and  a  cushion  covers  the  face.  The  attendant  priest 
was  about  to  remove  this  cushion,  when  our  guide  whis 
pered  to  me,  "  You  are  expected  to  kiss  the  forehead,"  and 
I  turned  away.  These  relics  are  ranked  among  the  holiest 


344  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

in  Moscow,  and  are  most  devoutly  worshipped,  although  it 
is  by  no  means  certain  that  they  belong  to  the  true  Deme 
trius. 

Close  at  hand  is  the  House  of  the  Holy  Synod,  and  as  we 
are  accompanied  by  our  obliging  Consul,  Col.  Claxton,  to 
whom  all  doors  are  open,  we  are  admitted  into  the  sanctu 
ary  where  are  preserved  the  robes  worn  by  Russian  Patri 
archs  during  the  last  six  hundred  years,  as  well  as  the  silver 
jars  containing  the  sacred  oil,  used  for  solemn  sacraments 
throughout  the  whole  Empire.  The  robes  are  of  the  hea 
viest  silk,  inwoven  with  gold  and  silver  thread,  and  so  sown 
with  jewels  that  they  would  stand  stiff  upright  with  their 
own  richness.  The  Patriarchs  seem  to  have  had  an  espe 
cial  fondness  for  pearls,  of  which,  in  some  instances,  the 
embroidered  figures  are  entirely  composed.  In  strong  con 
trast  to  these  dazzling  vestments  are  the  coarse  brown  hat 
and  mantle  of  the  Patriarch  ^NTichon.  The  holy  oil  is 
preserved  in  thirty-three  jars,  which,  as  well  as  the  larger 
vessels  used  in  preparing  it,  are  of  massive  silver.  About 
two  gallons  a  year  are  necessary  to  supply  Russia.  The 
council  hall  of  the  Holy  Synod  is  in  the  same  building.  It 
is  evidently  the  ancient  place  of  assembly — a  long  low  room, 
with  sacred  frescoes  on  a  golden  ground,  and  raised  seats 
along  the  wall  for  the  principal  personages. 

Let  us  now  turn  from  the  sacred  to  the  secular  sights  of 
the  Kremlin,  although  some  of  the  latter  are  not  less  sacred, 
to  Russian  eyes.  The  palace  doors  open  to  the  special  per 
mit  presented  by  Col.  Claxton,  and  we  ascend  the  broad, 
noble  staircase.  The  plain  exterior  of  the  building  gives 
no  hint  of  the  splendors  within.  I  have  seen  all  the  palaces 


THE   KREMLIN.  345 

of  Europe  (with  the  exception  of  the  Escurial),  but  I  can 
not  recall  one  in  which  the  highest  possible  magnificence  is1 
so  subservient  to  good  taste,  as  here.  Inlaid  floors,  of  such 
beautiful  design  and  such  precious  wood,  that  you  tread 
upon  them  with  regret;  capitals,  cornices,  and  ceiling- 
soffits  of  gold  ;  walls  overlaid  with  fluted  silk ;  giant  cande 
labra  of  silver  and  malachite,  and  the  soft  gleam  of  many- 
tinted  marbles,  combine  to  make  this  a  truly  Imperial 
residence.  The  grand  hall  of  St.  George,  all  in  white  and 
gold,  is  literally  incrusted  with  ornamented  carved-work ; 
that  of  St.  Alexander  ISTevsky  is  sumptuous  in  blue  and 
gold ;  of  St.  Wladimar  in  crimson  and  gold  ;  while  in  that 
of  St.  Elizabeth,  the  walls  are  not  only  overlaid  with  gold, 
and  the  furniture  of  massive  silver,  but  in  the  centre  of 
every  door  is  a  Maltese  cross,  formed  of  the  largest  dia 
monds  !  The  eye  does  not  tire  of  this  unwonted  splendor, 
nor  does  it  seem  difficult  to  dwell  even  in  such  dazzling  halls. 
In  a  lower  story  is  the  banqueting-hall,  hung  with  crimson 
velvet,  studded  with  golden  eagles.  Here  the  Emperor 
feasts  with  his  nobles  on  the  day  of  coronation — the  only 
occasion  on  which  it  is  used. 

The  dwelling  rooms  are  fitted  up  with  equal  magnifi 
cence,  except  those  occupied  by  the  Emperor  himself,  in 
which  the  furniture  is  very  plain  and  serviceable.  In  some 
of  these  rooms  we  found  everything  topsy-turvy.  Officers 
were  busy  in  taking  an  inventory  of  the  furniture,  even  to 
the  smallest  articles,  in  order  that  a  stop  may  be  put  to  the 
wholesale  plunder  which  has  been  carried  on  in  the  impe 
rial  household,  since  the  death  of  Peter  the  Great.  The 
dishonesty  of  Russian  officials  is  a  matter  of  universal  noto- 


346  TRAVELS    IN   POLAXD    AND   RUSSIA. 

riety,  and  Alexander  II.  is  doing  his  part  to  check  and 
punish  it.  He  has  not  been  the  slightest  sufferer.  During 
the  coronation,  40,000  lamps  were  bought  for  the  illumina 
tion  of  the  Kremlin,  and  now,  not  one  is  to  be  found ! 
Thousands  of  yards  of  crimson  cloth,  furnished  on  the  same 
occasion,  have  disappeared,  and  enormous  charges  appear 
in  the  bills  for  articles  which  were  never  bought  at  all. 
All  Moscow  was  laughing  over  one  of  these  discoveries, 
which  is  too  amusing  not  to  tell,  although  I  may  offend 
strict  ideas  of  propriety  in  relating  it.  In  the  suite  of  the 
Empress  were  fifty  chosen  Ladies  of  Honor,  who,  of  course, 
were  lodged  and  entertained  at  the  Imperial  expense. 
When  the  bills  came  to  be  settled  it  was  found  that,  in 
furnishing  the  bed-chambers  of  these  fifty  ladies,  4,500 
utensils  of  a  useful  character  had  been  purchased,  or  no 
less  than  ninety  apiece  ! 

A  part  of  the  ancient  Palace  of  the  Tzars — all  that  was 
left  by  fire  and  Frenchmen — forms  the  rear  wing  of  the 
building.  It  is  very  much  in  the  style  of  the  Cathedral  of 
St.  Basil — irregular,  fantastic,  and  covered  with  a  painted 
tangle  of  scrolls,  vines,  flowers,  and  birds.  The  apartments 
of  the  Tzarina  and  children,  the  private  chapel,  audience- 
room,  and  terema  or  inclosed  balcony,  are  still  quite  per 
fect.  From  the  latter,  it  is  said,  Napoleon  watched  the 
progress  of  the  fire,  the  night  after  his  arrival  in  Moscow 
On  the  ancient  tables  stand  the  treasure-chests  of  the  Tzar 
Alexis — five  large  boxes  of  massive  gold,  covered  with 
inscriptions  in  the  old  Slavonian  character.  If  such  were 
the  chests,  what  must  have  been  the  treasure  ?  But  really, 
before  one  gets  through  with  the  Kremlin,  gold  and  jewels 


THE    KREMLIN.  347 

become  drugs.  You  still  delight  in  their  blaze  and  beauty, 
but  you  cease  to  be  impressed  by  their  value. 

This  warns  me  that  the  words,  too,  in  which  I  have  been 
endeavoring  to  describe  these  things,  may  at  last  lose 
their  color  and  force,  from  sheer  repetition.  I  shall  there 
fore  barely  mention  the  last,  and  perhaps  the  most  inter 
esting  sight  of  all — The  Treasury.  I  know  no  historical 
museum  in  Europe  of  such  magnificence,  although  there 
may  be  others  more  technically  complete.  Here,  crowns 
and  thrones  are  as  plenty  as  mineralogical  specimens  else 
where.  In  one  hall  are  the  jewelled  thrones  of  Ivan  III., 
Boris  Gudonoff,  Michael  Romanoff,  Peter  the  Great  and 
his  brother,  and  of  Poland ;  while  between  them,  each  rest 
ing  on  a  crimson  cushion,  on  its  separate  pillar,  are  the 
crowns  of  those  monarchs,  and  of  the  subject  kingdoms  of 
Siberia,  Poland,  Kazan,  Novgorod,  and  the  Crimea.  In 
another  case  is  the  sceptre  of  Poland,  broken  in  the  centre, 
and  the  Constitution  of  that  ill-fated  country  lies  in  a  box 
at  the  feet  of  Alexander  L's  portrait.  There  are  also  the 
litter  of  Charles  XII.,  taken  at  Pultava ;  the  heavy  jack-boots 
of  the  great  Peter  ;  the  jewelled  horse-trappings  of  Catha 
rine  II.,  her  equestrian  portrait  in  male  attire  (and  a  gal 
lant,  dashing,  strapping  cavalier  she  is !),  the  helmet  of 
Michael  Romanoff — curiously  enough,  with  an  Arabic  sen 
tence  over  the  brow — and  a  superb  collection  of  arms, 
armor,  military  trappings,  golden  and  silver  vessels,  and 
antique  jewelry.  A  lower  room  contains  the  imperial 
coaches  and  sleds,  for  nearly  two  centuries  back. 

Can  you  wonder  now,  even  after  the  little  I  have  found 
room  to  say,  that  the  Kremlin  is  looked  upon  by  the  Rus 
sian  people  with  fond  and  faithful  veneration  ? 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

A     VISIT     TO     THE     FOUNDLING     HOSPITAL. 

IT  was  a  pleasant  change  to  me  to  turn  my  eyes,  dazzled 
by  the  splendors  of  the  Kremlin,  upon  an  edifice  which  has 
neither  gold  nor  jewels  to  show,  but  which  illustrates  the 
patriarchal,  or  rather  paternal,  character  of  the  Russian 
Government,  on  the  grandest  scale.  This  is  the  Vospita~ 
telnoi  Dom,  or  Foundling  Hospital — but  the  title  conveys 
no  idea  of  the  extent  and  completeness  of  this  imperial 
charity.  There  are  similar  institutions  in  Paris,  Stockholm, 
Vienna,  and  other  cities,  on  a  much  more  contracted  scale. 
Our  New  York  asylum  for  children,  on  Randall's  Island, 
though  a  most  beneficent  establishment,  is  still  more  limited 
in  its  operations  than  the  latter.  In  Russia  the  Foundling 
Hospital  is  characterized  by  some  peculiar  and  very  inter 
esting  features,  which  deserve  to  be  generally  known,  as 
they  are  intimately  connected  with  one  of  those  tender 
moral  questions  our  civilization  is  afraid  to  handle. 

In  every  general  view  of  Moscow,  the  eye  is  struck  by 
an  immense  quadrangular  building,  or  collection  of  build- 


A   VISIT   TO   THE   FOUNDLING    HOSPITAL.  349 

ings,  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Moskva,  directly  east  of 
the  Kremlin.  The  white  front  towers  high  over  all  the 
neighboring  part  of  the  city,  and  quite  eclipses,  in  its  im 
posing  appearance,  every  palace,  church,  military  barrack, 
or  other  public  building  whatever.  It  cannot  be  much  less 
than  a  thousand  feet  in  length,  and,  at  a  venture,  I  should 
estimate  its  size  at  three  times  that  of  the  Capitol  at  Wash 
ington.  The  Governorship  of  this  institution  is  only  second 
in  importance  to  that  of  the  city  itself,  and  is  always  con 
ferred  upon  a  nobleman  of  distinguished  rank  and  attain 
ments.  The  importance  of  the  post  may  be  estimated 
when  I  state  that  the  annual  expenses  of  the  hospital 
amount  to  $5,000,000.  A  portion  of  the  Government 
revenues  are  set  aside  for  this  purpose,  in  addition  to 
which  successive  Tzars,  as  well  as  private  individuals,  have 
richly  endowed  it.  The  entire  property  devoted  to  the 
support,  maintenance,  and  education  of  foundlings  in  Rus 
sia,  is  said  to  amount  to  the  enormous  sum  of  five  hundred 
millions  of  dollars. 

This  stupendous  institution  was  founded  by  Catharine 
II.,  immediately  after  her  accession  to  the  throne  in  1762. 
Eight  years  afterwards,  she  established  a  branch  at  St. 
Petersburg,  which  has  now  outgrown  the  parent  concern, 
and  is  conducted  on  a  still  more  magnificent  scale.  The 
original  design  appears  to  have  been  to  furnish  an  asylum 
for  illegitimate  children  and  destitute  orphans.  A  lying-in 
hospital  was  connected  with  it,  so  that  nothing  might  be 
left  undone  to  suppress  crime  and  misery  in  a  humane  and 
charitable  way.  The  plan,  however,  was  soon  enlarged  so 
as  to  embrace  all  children  who  might  be  offered,  without 


350  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND    RUSSIA. 

question  or  stipulation,  the  parents,  naturally,  giving  up 
their  offspring  to  the  service  of  the  Government  which  had 
reared  them.  Russia  offers  herself  as  midwife,  wet-nurse, 
mother,  and  teacher,  to  every  new  soul  for  whom  there  is 
no  place  among  the  homes  of  her  people,  and  nobly  and 
conscientiously  does  she  discharge  her  self-imposed  duty. 
She  not  only  takes  no  life  (capital  punishment,  I  believe, 
does  not  exist),  but  she  saves  thousands  annually.  She, 
therefore,  autocracy  as  she  is,  practically  carries  into  effect 
one  of  the  first  articles  of  the  ultra-socialistic  code. 

Through  Col.  Claxton's  kindness,  I  obtained  permission 
to  visit  the  Foundling  Hospital.  We  were  received  by  the 
Superintendent,  a  lively  intelligent  gentleman,  with  half  a 
dozen  orders  at  his  button-hole.  Before  conducting  us 
through  the  building,  he  stated  that  we  would  see  it  to  less 
advantage  than  usual,  all  the  children  being  in  the  country 
for  the  summer,  with  the  exception  of  those  which  had 
been  received  during  the  last  few  weeks.  There  is  a  large 
village  about  thirty  versts  from  Moscow,  whose  inhabitants 
devote  themselves  entirely  to  the  bringing  up  of  these 
foundlings.  We  first  entered  a  wing  of  the  building, 
appropriated  to  the  orphan  children  of  officers.  There 
were  then  one  thousand  two  hundred  in  the  institution, 
but  all  of  them,  with  the  exception  of  the  sucklings,  were 
enjoying  their  summer  holidays  in  the  country.  It  was 
the  hour  for  their  mid-day  nap,  and  in  the  large,  airy  halls 
lay  a  hundred  and  fifty  babes,  each  in  its  little  white  cot, 
covered  with  curtains  of  fine  gauze.  Only  one  whimpered 
a  little ;  all  the  others  slept  quietly.  The  apartments  were 
in  the  highest  possible  state  of  neatness,  and  the  nurses, 


A    VISIT   TO    THE   FOUNDLING   HOSPITAL.  351 

who  stood  silently,  with  hands  folded  on  their  breasts, 
bowing  as  we  passed,  were  also  remarkably  neat  in  person. 

These  children  enjoy  some  privileges  over  the  foundlings 
and  poorer  orphans.  The  boys  are  taught  some  practical 
science  or  profession,  and  not  unfrequently  receive  places 
as  officers  in  the  army.  The  girls  receive  an  excellent  edu 
cation,  including  music  and  modern  languages,  and  become 
teachers  or  governesses.  As  the  larger  children  were  all 
absent,  I  could  form  no  idea  of  the  manner  of  their  instruc 
tion,  except  from  an  inspection  of  the  school  and  class 
rooms,  the  appearance  of  which  gave  a  good  report.  The 
Superintendents  and  Teachers  are  particularly  required  to 
watch  the  signs  of  any  decided  talent  in  the  children,  and, 
where  such  appears  to  develop  it  in  the  proper  direction. 
Thus,  excellent  musicians,  actors,  painters,  engineers,  and 
mechanics  of  various  kinds,  have  been  produced,  and  the 
poor  and  nameless  children  of  Russia  have  risen  to  wealth 
and  distinction. 

On  our  way  to  the  Hospital  proper,  we  passed  through  the 
Church,  which  is  as  cheerful  and  beautiful  a  place  of  devo 
tion  as  I  had  seen  since  leaving  the  Parthenon.  The  walls 
are  of  scagliola,  peach-blossom  color,  brightened,  but  not 
overloaded  with  golden  ornaments.  The  dome,  well  painted 
in  fresco,  rests  on  pillars  of  the  same  material,  and  the  tall 
altar  screen,  though  gilded,  is  not  glaring,  nor  are  the 
Saints  abnormal  creatures,  whose  like  is  not  to  be  found  in 
Heaven  or  Earth.  The  prestol,  or  inmost  shrine,  stands 
under  a  dome,  whose  inner  side  contains  a  choral  circle  of 
lovely  blonde-haired  angels,  floating  in  a  blue,  starry  sky. 
All  parts  of  the  vast  building  are  most  substantially  and 


352  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

carefully  constructed.  The  walls  are  of  brick  or  stone,  the 
floors  of  marble  or  glazed  tiles  in  the  corridor's,  and  the 
stair-cases  of  iron.  The  courts  inclose  garden-plots,  radiant 
with  flowers.  The  arrangements  for  heating  and  ventila 
tion  are  admirable.  With  such  care,  one  would  think  that 
a  naturally  healthy  child  would  be  as  sure  to  live  as  a  sound 
egg  to  be  hatched  in  the  Egyptian  ovens. 

We  passed  through  hall  after  hall,  filled  with  rows  of 
little  white  cots,  beside  each  of  which  stood  a  nurse,  either 
watching  her  sleeping  charge,  or  gently  rocking  it  in  her 
arms.  Twelve  hundred  nurses  and  twelve  hundred  babies ! 
This  is  homoculture  on  a  large  scale.  Not  all  the  plants 
would  thrive  ;  some  helpless  little  ones  would  perhaps  that 
day  give  up  the  unequal  struggle,  and,  before  men  and 
women  are  produced  from  the  crop  there  sown,  the  num 
ber  will  be  diminished  by  one-third.  The  condition  in 
which  they  arrive,  often  brought  from  a  long  distance,  in 
rough  weather,  accounts  for  the  mortality.  When  we  con 
sider,  however,  that  the  deaths,  both  in  Moscow  and  St. 
Petersburg,  annually  exceed  the  births,  it  is  evident  that 
the  Government  takes  better  care  of  its  children  than  do 
the  parents  themselves.  Of  the  babies  we  saw,  seven  had 
been  brought  in  on  the  day  of  our  visit,  up  to  the  time  of 
our  arrival,  and  fourteen  the  previous  day.  The  nurses 
were  stout,  healthy,  ugly  women,  varying  from  twenty  to 
forty  years  of  age.  They  all  wore  the  national  costume — 
a  dress  bordered  with  scarlet,  white  apron,  and  a  large, 
fan-shaped  head-dress  of  white  and  red.  In  every  hall  there 
was  a  lady-like,  intelligent  overseeress.  In  spite  of  the 
multitude  of  babies,  there  was  very  little  noise,  and  the 


A   VISIT   TO   THE   FOUXDLIjS'G   HOSPITAL,  353 

most  nervous  old  bachelor  might  have  gone  the  round  with 
out  once  having  his  teeth  set  on  edge. 

The  superintendent  then  conducted  us  to  the  office  or 
agency,  on  the  lower  story,  where  the  children  are  received. 
The  number  of  clerks  and  desks,  and  the  library  of  records, 
showed  the  extent  of  the  business  done.  I  looked  over  a 
report  of  the  operations  of  the  institution,  from  its  founda 
tion  to  the  present  time.  The  number  of  children  confided 
to  its  care  has  increased  from  a  few  hundred  in  1762  to 
14,000  in  1857.  Since  the  commencement  of  the  year  (Jan. 
13,  O.  S.)  6,032  had  arrived.  The  entire  number  received 
in  ninety-six  years  is  330,000,  to  which  may  be  added 
60,000  more,  born  in  the  lying-in  hospital  during  the  same 
period — making  390,000  in  all.  The  Petersburg  branch 
affords  still  larger  returns,  so  that  at  present  30,000  chil 
dren  are  annually  given  into  the  care  of  the  Government. 
A  very  large  proportion  of  them  are  the  offspring  of  poor 
married  people,  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  As  the  children 
may  afterward  be  reclaimed,  on  certain  conditions,  and  are 
\u  any  case  assured  of  as  fortunate  a  lot,  at  least,  as  would 
have  been  theirs  at  home,  the  parents  are  the  more  easily 
led  to  take  advantage  of  this  charity.  The  child  is  taken 
without  question,  and  therefore  no  reliable  statistics  of  the 
public  morality  can  be  obtained  from  this  source. 

The  office  is  kept  open  night  and  day,  and  no  living  child 
which  is  offered  can  be  refused.  The  only  question  asked 
is,  whether  it  has  been  baptized.  If  not,  the  ceremony  is 
immediately  performed  in  an  adjoining  room,  by  a  priest 
connected  with  the  institution,  one  of  the  oldest  nurses, 
generally,  acting  as  godmother.  Its  name  and  number  are 


354  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

then  entered  in  the  official  book,  a  card  containing  them 
and  the  date  of  its  arrival  is  attached  to  its  neck,  and 
another  given  to  the  mother,  so  that  it  may  afterwards  be 
identified  and  reclaimed.  Very  frequently,  the  mother  is 
allowed  to  become  its  nurse,  in  which  case  she  receives  pay 
like  the  other  nurses.  After  six  weeks  or  two  months  in 
the  institution,  it  is  sent  into  the  country,  where  it  remains 
until  old  enough  to  receive  instruction.  The  regular  nurses 
are  paid  at  the  rate  of  about  $50  a  year,  in  addition  to  their 
board  and  lodging.  If  the  parents  pay  a  sum  equal  to  $25 
on  the  deposition  of  the  infant,  they  are  entitled  to  have  it 
brought  up  exclusively  within  the  walls  of  the  institution, 
where  it  is  more  carefully  attended  to  than  elsewhere. 
The  payment  of  $200  procures  for  it,  if  a  boy,  the  rank  of 
an  officer.  The  parents  are  allowed  to  see  their  children  at 
stated  times,  and  many  of  them  take  advantage  of  this  per 
mission.  The  greater  part,  however,  live  in  the  provinces, 
and  virtually  give  up  their  children  to  the  State ;  though  it 
is  always  possible  by  consulting  the  Hospital  directory,  to 
find  where  the  latter  are,  and  to  recover  them. 

In  the  lying-in  hospital,  all  women  are  received  who 
apply.  They  are  allowed  to  enter  one  month  before  their 
confinement,  and  to  remain  afterwards  until  their  health  is 
entirely  restored.  Those  who  wish  to  be  unknown  are 
concealed  by  a  curtain  which  falls  across  the  middle  of  the 
bed,  so  that  their  faces  are  never  seen.  Besides  this,  no 
one  is  allowed  to  enter  the  hospital  except  the  persons 
actually  employed  within  it.  The  late  Emperor,  even, 
respected  its  privacy,  and  at  once  gave  up  his  desire  to 
enter,  on  the  representations  of  the  Governor.  The  arrange- 


A   VISIT   TO    THE    FOUNDLING    HOSPITAL.  355 

merits  are  said  to  be  so  excellent  that  not  only  poor  mar 
ried  women,  but  many  who  are  quite  above  the  necessity 
of  such  a  charity,  take  advantage  of  it.  In  this  case,  also, 
the  number  of  children  brought  forth  is  no  evidence  as  to 
the  proportion  of  illegitimate  births.  It  is  not  obligatory 
upon  the  mother  to  leave  her  child  in  the  hospital ;  she  may 
take  it  with  her  if  she  chooses,  but  it  will  of  course  be 
received,  if  offered. 

Besides  the  soldiers,  common  mechanics,  and  factory 
girls,  which  the  children  of  merely  ordinary  capacity 
become,  the  Government  has,  of  late  years,  established 
many  of  them  as  farmers  and  colonists  on  the  uncultivated 
crown  lands.  They  are  mated,  married,  and  comfortably 
settle  in  villages,  where,  in  addition  to  their  agricultural 
labors,  they  frequently  take  charge  of  a  younger  generation 
of  foundlings.  I  have  seen  some  of  these  villages  where  the 
houses  were  all  neat  Swiss  cottages,  under  the  projecting 
eaves  of  which  the  families  sat  in  the  mild  evening  air, 
while  groups  of  sprightly  children,  too  nearly  of  an  age 
to  belong  to  the  occupants,  sported  before  them.  The  peo 
ple  looked  happy  and  prosperous.  If  there  is  a  patriotic 
peasantry  on  earth,  they  should  certainly  belong  to  it. 
They  are,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  term,  children  of  their 
country. 

The  St.  Petersburg  Hospital,  though  in  the  heart  of  the 
city,  covers,  with  its  dependencies,  twenty-eight  acres  of 
ground.  Upwards  of  five  hundred  teachers  are  employed, 
many  of  them  on  very  high  salaries.  The  number  of 
nurses,  servants,  and  other  persons  employed  in  the  esta 
blishment,  amounts  to  upward  of  five  thousand.  The  boys 


356  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND    AND   RUSSIA. 

and  girls,  both  there  and  in  Moscow,  are  taught  separately. 
The  cost  of  their  education,  alone,  is  more  than  $1,000,000 
annually.  In  a  word,  Russia  spends  on  her  orphans  and 
castaways  as  much  as  the  entire  revenues  of  Sweden,  Nor 
way,  and  Greece. 

Let  us  not  be  so  dazzled,  however,  by  the  splendid  libe 
rality  of  this  charity,  as  to  lose  sight  of  the  moral  question 
which  it  involves.  No  other  nation  has  yet  instituted  such 
a  system ;  few  other  governments  would  dare  do  it  at  pre 
sent.  What  effect  has  it  had  on  public  morals?  It  has 
existed  for  nearly  a  century,  and  whatever  influence  it  may 
exercise,  either  for  good  or  evil,  must  now  be  manifest. 
One  fact  is  certain — that  the  number  of  children  delivered 
into  its  keeping,  has  steadily  increased  from  year  to  year ; 
but  this,  as  I  have  already  shown,  is  no  indication  what 
ever.  The  growth  of  its  resources,  the  perfection  of  its 
arrangements,  and  the  liberal  education  which  it  bestows 
sufficiently  explain  this  increase.  In  the  absence  of  reliable 
moral  statistics,  we  are  obliged,  simply,  to  draw  a  parallel 
between  the  condition  of  the  Russians,  in  this  respect,  at 
present,  and  the  accounts  given  of  them  in  the  last  century. 
Judging  from  these  data,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  declare  that 
the  effect  of  the  system  has  not  been  detrimental  to  the 
general  morality  of  the  Russian  people.  On  the  contrary, 
they  have  improved  with  the  improvement  in  their  condi 
tion  and  the  gradual  advance  of  civilization.  When  I 
compare  the  chronicles  of  Richard  Chancellor,  and  of  Sir 
John  Chardin,  two  and  a  half  centuries  ago,  with  what  1 
see  now,  I  can  scarcely  realize  that  they  are  the  same 
people. 


A    VISIT   TO    THE   FOUNDLING    HOSPITAL.  357 

"  But,"  cries  a  Pharisee,  "  this  Hospital  affords  an  easy 
and  secret  relief  to  the  sinner.  By  saving  her  from  public 
shame,  it  encourages  her  in  private  vice !  It  removes  the 
righteous  penalty  placed  upon  incontinence,  and  thereby 
gradually  demoralizes  society !"  I  do  not  deny  that  the 
relief  here  afforded  may  increase  the  number  of  individuals 
who  need  it,  but  I  assert,  in  all  earnestness,  that  the  moral 
tone  of  "Society"  would  not  be  lowered  thereby,  seeing 
that,  where  one  licentious  act  may  be  encouraged,  one 
awful  crime  is  certainly  prevented.  In  Russia,  infanti 
cides  and  abortions  are  almost  unknown.  In  America,  one 
need  but  look  at  what  is  discovered.  God  only  knows  how 
many  additional  cases  of  the  crime  most  abhorent  to  human 
nature  are  perpetrated  in  secret.  And  yet,  if  some  benevo 
lent  millionare  should  propose  to  build  such  a  foundling 
hospital  in  New-York,  pulpit  and  press  would  riddle  him 
with  the  red-hot  shot  of  holy  indignation.  Oh,  no  !  Let 
the  subject  alone — your  fingers,  of  course,  are  white,  and 
were  not  meant  to  handle  pitch.  No  matter  what  crimes 
are  eating  their  way  into  the  moral  heart  of  Society,  so  long 
as  all  is  fair  on  the  outside.  Let  the  unwed  ded  mother, 
finding  no  pity  or  relief  for  her,  and  no  place  in  the  world 
for  her  unlawful  offspring,  murder  it  before  it  is  born ! 
This  is  better  than  to  stretch  out  a  helping  hand  to  her, 
and  so  prevent  the  crime.  Ten  to  one,  the  act  is  never 
found  out ;  appearances  are  preserved,  and  our  sanctified 
prudery  is  unruffled. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  moral  tone  of 
Society  can  only  be  preserved  by  making  desperate  outcasts 
of  all  who  sin.  So  long  as  we  preserve  a  genuine  domestic 


358  TliAVJULS    IN    POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

life — so  long  as  we  have  virtuous  homes,  liberal  education, 
and  religious  influences — we  need  not  fear  that  a  Christian 
charity  like  that  which  I  have  described  will  touch  our 
purity.  It  will  only  cleanse  us  from  the  stain  of  the  black 
est  of  crimes.  The  number  of  illegitimate  births  would  be 
increased  by  the  diminution  in  the  number  of  abortions. 
Who  will  dare  to  say  that  the  reverse  is  preferable  ?  We 
boast,  and  with  some  justice,  of  the  superior  morality  of 
our  population,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  nations  of 
Europe ;  but  we  should  know  that  in  none  of  the  latter  is 
infanticide  (both  before  and  after  birth)  so  common  as  with 
us.  We  should  remember  that  a  morality  which  is  uncha 
ritable,  cruel,  and  Pharisaic,  inevitably  breeds  a  secret 
immorality.  The  Spartan  holiness  of  the  New  England 
pilgrims  was  followed  by  a  shocking  prevalence  of  unnatural 
vice,  which  diminished  in  proportion  as  their  iron  discipline 
was  relaxed. 

At  any  rate,  we  can  never  err  by  helping  those  who  are 
in  trouble,  even  though  that  trouble  have  come  through 
vice.  I  have  never  heard  that  the  Magdalen  Societies  have 
increased  the  number  of  prostitutes,  and  I  do  not  believe 
that  a  foundling  hospital  would  encourage  seduction  or 
adultery.  To  change  one  word  in  the  immortal  lines  of 
Burns : 

"  "What's  done,  we  partly  may  compute, 
But  know  not  what's  prevented." 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

MOSCOW,     IN-DOORS     AND     OUT. 

WERE  I  a  painter  of  the  Dutch  or  Flemish  school,  I  could 
bring  you  many  a  characteristic  sketch  of  Moscow  life. 
Here,  especially,  such  subjects  require  form  and  color,  and 
their  accompanying  "  still  life,"  and  are  therefore  only  to 
be  made  intelligible  by  the  pen  after  the  pencil  has  gone 
before.  But  there  are  few,  if  any,  genre  pictures  in  Russia. 
The  most  distinguished  artist  the  country  has  yet  produced 
— Bruloff — painted  goddesses,  nymphs,  saints,  and  the  De 
struction  of  Pompeii.  The  streets  of  Moscow  are  full  of 
subjects,  many  of  which  are  peculiarly  interesting,  as  they 
illustrate  features  of  Russian  life  which  must  soon  change 
or  disappear.  The  istvostchiks,  with  their  squat  black  hats, 
splendid  beards,  and  blue  caftans ;  the  double-waisted  pea 
sant  women  at  the  street  shrines;  the  bare-headed  serf, 
bowing  and  crossing  himself,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  a  dis 
tant  church ;  the  shabby  merchants  in  the  second-hand 
markets,  with  their  tables  of  heterogeneous  wares  ;  the 
vaulted  avenues  of  the  Gostinnoi  Dvor,  and  the  curious 


360  TRAVELS    IX    T GLAND    AXD    RUSSIA. 

stalls  in  the  Kitai  Gorod  ;  the  vegetable  markets,  the  sellers 
of  qvasS)  the  wood-boatmen  on  the  Moskva  and  the  Tartars 
at  their  mosque,  all  furnish  studies  to  the  stranger,  whether 
he  be  painter  or  author.  It  would  require  a  long  residence, 
to  exhaust  the  interest  of  the  city,  in  this  respect. 

To  one  who  has  seen  the  bazaars  of  Constantinople,  the 
Gostinnoi  Dvor  presents  no  new  features.  It  is  low,  arched 
above  and  paved  under  foot,  and  each  avenue  or  part  of  an 
avenue  is  devoted  to  a  particular  kind  of  merchandise. 
The  inside  is  a  perfect  labyrinth,  and  no  little  time  is  neces 
sary  in  order  to  learn  the  geographical  arrangement  of  the 
shops.  If  you  wrant  nails  you  may  wander  through  the 
various  departments  devoted  to  linen,  woollen,  silk,  and 
cotton  goods,  jewels,  wax  candles,  tar,  and  turpentine,  be 
fore  you  get  to  iron.  Buttons  are  in  one  direction  and  tape 
in  another ;  sugar  behind  you,  and  spoons  far  ahead.  As 
you  walk  down  the  dimly-lighted  passages,  you  are  hailed 
with  invitations  to  buy,  on  all  sides ;  the  merchants  hang 
with  expectation  on  the  turning  of  your  head,  and  receive 
with  ecstacy  the  accidental  glance  of  your  eye.  This  desire 
to  have  you  for  a  customer  does  not  prevent  them  from  ask 
ing  much  more  than  they  expect  to  receive,  and  if  you 
have  the  least  inclination  to  buy,  no  one  is  so  stony-hearted 
as  to  let  you  go  away  empty-handed. 

The  shops  of  the  jewelers  are  interesting,  from  the 
variety  of  precious  stones,  chiefly  from  the  mountains  of 
Siberia,  which  are  to  be  found  in  them.  The  jewels  most 
fashionable  in  Moscow  at  present  are  diamonds,  emeralds, 
pearls,  and  turquoises.  Opals  also  bring  a  large  price,  but 
stones  of  secondary  order,  such  as  topaz,  garnet,  ame- 


MOSCOW,    IN-DOOKS    AND    OUT.  361 

thyst,  onyx,  and  aqua-marine,  are  plentiful  and  cheap. 
Siberia  produces  superb  emeralds,  and  the  finest  amethysts, 
aqua-marines,  and  topazes  I  ever  saw.  The  Siberian  dia 
mond,  which  is  found  in  abundance  in  the  Ural  Mountains, 
appears  to  be  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  white  topaz.  A 
necklace  of  seventy-five  of  these  stones,  the  size  of  a  cherry, 
costs  a  little  less  than  $20.  I  noticed  a  few  fine  sapphires, 
but  suspect  that  they  found  their  way  thither  from  India, 
through  Persia.  One  jeweler  showed  me  a  jacinth,  a 
rather  rare  stone  with  a  splendid  scarlet  fire,  for  which  he 
demanded  fifty  rubles.  There  were  also  some  glorious 
opals,  darting  their  lambent  rays  of  pink,  green,  blue  and 
pearl-white,  but  their  value  was  equal  to  their  beauty. 
Malachite  and  lapiz-lazuli,  so  common  in  Russian  palaces 
and  churches,  are  dear,  and  good  specimens  are  not  easy 
to  be  had. 

In  this  bazaar  you  are  struck  by  the  smooth,  sallow 
faces  of  the  money-changers,  and  a  certain  mixture  of 
weakness  and  cunning  in  their  expression.  You  are  there 
fore  not  surprised  when  you  learn  that  they  are  all  eunuchs. 
I  endeavored,  but  in  vain,  to  discover  the  cause  of  this 
singular  fact.  The  money-changers,  so  say  the  people, 
have  for  centuries  past  constituted  a  peculiar  .class,  or  guild. 
They  are  very  rich,  naturally  clannish  on  account  of  their 
mutilation,  and  accept  no  new  member  into  their  body  who 
has  not  undergone  a  like  preparation.  As  voluntary  con 
verts  to  such  a  sect  must  be  very  scarce,  they  would  in 
time  become  extinct  if  they  did  not  purchase,  at  a  heavy 
cost,  the  sons  of  poor  parents,  who  are  qualified  at  an  age 
when  they  can  neither  understand  nor  resist  their  fate. 

16 


362  TUAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   EUSSIA. 

The  Government  has  prohibited  this  practice  under  very 
severe  penalties,  and  the  vile  brotherhood  will  probably 
soon  cease  to  exist. 

The  Riadi,  an  open  bazaar  in  the  Kitai  Gorod,  deserves 
to  be  next  visited.  It  is  less  ostentatious  in  its  character, 
but  exhibits  even  a  greater  diversity  of  shops  and  wares, 
and  is  thronged  from  sunrise  until  sunset  with  purchasers 
and  traders.  Here  you  find  everything  which  the  common 
Russian  requires  for  his  domestic  life,  his  religion,  his  birth, 
marriage,  and  death.  For  a  few  copeks  you  may  drink  a 
ladle  of  qvass,  eat  a  basin  of  the  national  shtshee  (cabbage 
soup)  or  botvinia  (an  iced  soup  full  of  raw  cucumbers  and 
various  other  indigestibles),  and  finish  with  a  glass  of  the 
fiery  vodJci.  The  latter,  however,  generally  comes  first,  as 
in  Sweden.  Wax  candles  of  all  sizes  are  here  displayed, 
and  the  collection  of  patron  saints  is  truly  astonishing. 
Brown  Virgins  predominate,  but  St.  Nicholas,  in  a  scarlet 
mantle,  and  St.  George  slaying  the  Dragon,  are  also  great 
favorites.  As  in  Russia  no  house  is  built  and  no  room  occu 
pied,  without  the  presence  of  a  saint,  the  trade  in  the 
Byzantine  Lares  and  Penates  is  very  great.  No  Russian, 
of  whatever  rank,  enters  a  house,  however  humble,  writhtfut 
uncovering  his  head.  It  is  an  act  of  religion  rather  than 
of  courtesy. 

The  fondness  of  the  common  people  for  pictures  is  re 
markable.  To  say  nothing  of  the  saints  and  illustrations 
of  Biblical  history  which  you  meet  with  on  all  sides,  there 
are  shops  and  booths  filled  entirely  with  caricatures  or  alle 
gorical  subjects.  The  most  favorite  of  these  seems  to  be 
the  punishment  of  avarice.  Rich  old  sinners,  with  puffy 


MOSCOW,    IN-DOORS    AND    OUT.  363 

cheeks  and  fat  round  bellies,  grasping  a  bag  of  specie  in 
each  hand,  are  seized  by  devils,  pricked  with  pitchforks,  or 
torn  limb  from  limb.  Another  picture  illustrates  the  two 
ways — one  broad  and  easy,  the  other  winding  and  difficult, 
one  terminating  in  flames  and  devils,  and  the  other  at  the 
feet  of  a  dark-brown  Virgin.  Crinoline,  even,  is  satirized 
in  some  of  the  caricatures.  Others,  again,  are  more  than 
broad  in  their  fun,  and,  if  there  are  ladies  in  your  com 
pany,  you  would  do  best  not  to  look  at  them.  The  draw 
ing  in  these  pictures  is  of  the  rudest  and  wretchedest  kind ; 
but  there  is  always  a  printed  explanation  at  the  foot 
of  the  sheet,  so  that  you  cannot  fail  to  know  what  is 
meant. 

At  the  Second-Hand  Markets,  of  which  there  are  several, 
one  finds  the  oddest  collection  of  old  articles,  from  Eng 
lish  novels  to  Arabic  seal-rings,  from  French  hats  to  Chinese 
shoes,  from  ancient  crucifixes  to  damaged  modern  crinolines. 
The  world's  refuse  seems  to  have  been  swept  together  here. 
It  would  be  difficut  to  name  any  article  which  you  could 
not  find,  I  wandered  for  an  hour  through  one  of  these 
markets,  near  the  Soukhoreff  Tower,  and  the  only  things 
which  I  could  think  of  and  did  not  see,  were  a  coal-scuttle 
and  an  oyster-knife.  However,  I  made  but  a  partial  survey, 
and  do  not  doubt  but  that  both  the  articles  were  there 
somewhere.  One  of  the  stupidest  and  greasiest  of  the 
merchants  had  a  second-hand  mineralogical  collection  for 
sale.  A  boy  who  could  not  read  offered  me  some  German 
theological  books,  of  the  most  orthodox  character.  Look 
ing  up  from  my  inspection  of  them,  I  saw  around  me  grass, 
soap,  wagon-gear,  garlic,  sofas,  crockery,  guitars,  crucifixes, 


364  TRAVELS    IN   POLAND    AND   RUSSIA. 

oil  cloth,  and  cheese !  Singularly  enough,  the  buyers  repre 
sented  all  classes  of  society,  from  serfs  up  to  officers  in  full 
uniform  and  ladies  of  the  widest  periphery. 

Let  us  escape  from  this  variegated  and  somewhat  bewil 
dered  crowd,  and  seek  a  little  fresh  air  further  from  the 
busy  heart  of  the  city.  A  friend  proposes  a  ride  to  Astan- 
kina  and  Petroifskoi,  which  lie  a  short  distance  outside  the 
barrier,  on  the  northern  side.  We  have  but  to  cry 
"davai!"  (here!)  and  a  dozen  istvostchiks  answer  to  the 
call.  They  are  very  jolly  fellows,  and  their  hats — like  the 
old  bell-crown  of  thirty  years  ago,  razeed — give  them  a 
smart  and  jaunty  air,  in  spite  of  the  blue  cloth  caftan, 
which  reaches  to  their  heels.  They  have  all  ruddy  faces, 
stumpy  noses,  bluish-gray  eyes,  and  beards  of  exactly  the 
same  cut  and  color,  whatever  their  build  and  physiognomy. 
The  old  national  droshky,  which  most  of  them  drive,  is  a 
hybrid  between  the  Norwegian  cariole  and  the  Irish  jaunt 
ing  car — a  light,  low,  jolting  thing,  but  cheap  and  suffi 
ciently  convenient.  If  there  is  one  passenger  he  sits 
astride  ;  if  two,  side-wise.  The  istvostchik  sits  also  astride, 
in  front,  and  it  is  not  the  most  agreeable  feature  of  his 
nature,  that  he  always  eats  garlic.  His  feet  rest  on  the 
frame  of  the  vehicle,  close  to  the  horse's  heels,  from  which, 
or  from  the  mud,  he  is  not  protected  by  any  dashboard. 
I  inferred  from  this  fact  that  the  Russian  horses  are  un 
usually  well-behaved,  and  am  told  that  it  is  really  the  case. 
It  is  a  very  unusual  thing  for  one  of  them  to  kick  while  in 
harness.  There  are  no  such  hack-horses  in  the  world. 
Without  an  exception  they  are  handsome,  well-conditioned, 
spirited  animals.  The  istvostchik  differs  from  all  other 


MOSCOW,    IX-DOORS   AXD    OUT.  365 

hackmen,  in  the  circumstance  that  it  is  impossible  for  him 
to  drive  slowly.  If  you  are  not  in  a  hurry,  he  always  is. 
As  there  is  no  established  tax,  the  fare  must  be  agreed  upon 
beforehand,  but  it  does  not  usually  amount  to  more  than 
twelve  cents  a  mile.  A  handsome  open  cal&che^  with  two 
horses,  can  be  had  for  three  dollars  a  day.  There  is  more 
or  less  Ukraine  blood  in  the  common  Moscow  horses. 

The  fields  around  the  city  are  principally  devoted  to  the 
cultivation  of  vegetables.  Companies  of  women,  singing 
in  shrill  chorus,  were  hoeing  and  weeding  among  them, 
as  we  drove  over  the  rolling  swell  towards  Astankina. 
This  is  a  summer  palace  and  park  belonging  to  Count  Che- 
remetieff.  The  grounds  are  laid  out  in  the  style  of  Ver 
sailles,  and  kept  in  excellent  order.  One  is  astonished  at 
the  richness  and  luxuriance  of  the  foliage,  and  the  great 
variety  of  trees  which  are  found  in  this  severe  climate. 
The  poplar,  the  linden,  the  locust,  the  elm,  the  ash,  and  the 
horse-chesnut  thrive  very  wrell,  with  a  little  care  and  protec 
tion.  Around  the  garden,  with  its  clipped  hedges,  flower 
beds  and  statues,  stretches  for  many  a  verst  a  forest  of  tall 
firs,  which  breaks  the  violence  of  the  winter  winds.  Here 
was  the  scene  of  one  of  those  gigantic  pieces  of  flattery, 
by  which  the  courtiers  of  Catharine  II.  sought  to  win  or 
keep  her  favor.  During  a  visit  of  that  Empress  to  Astan 
kina,  she  remarked  to  the  proprietor :  "  Were  it  not  for  the 
forest,  you  would  be  able  to  see  Moscow."  The  latter  im- 
mediatety  set  some  thousands  of  serfs  to  work,  and  in  a 
few  days  afterwards  prevailed  upon  the  Empress  to  pay 
him  another  visit.  "Your  Majesty,"  he  said,  "regretted 
that  the  forest  should  shut  out  my  view  of  Moscow.  It 


366  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

shall  do  so  no  longer."  He  thereupon  waved  his  hand, 
and  there  was  a  movement  among  the  trees.  They  rocked 
backward  and  forward  a  moment,  tottered,  and  fell  crashing 
together,  breaking  a  wide  avenue  through  the  forest,  at  the 
end  of  which  glittered  in  the  distance  the  golden  domes 
of  the  city. 

Petroffskoi  is  a  a  glaring,  fantastic  palace,  on  the  St. 
Petersburg  road,  about  two  miles  from  Moscow.  It  was 
built  by  the  Empress  Elizabeth,  and  its  architecture  seems 
to  have  been  borrowed  from  that  of  the  Kremlin.  Here 
Napoleon  took  up  his  quarters,  after  being  roasted  out  of 
the  latter  place.  Hence  also  started  the  coronation  proces 
sion  of  Alexander  II.,  probably  one  of  the  grandest  pa 
geants  ever  witnessed  in  Europe.  The  park,  which  is 
traversed  by  handsome  carriage-roads,  is  at  all  times  open 
to  the  public,  and  on  a  clear  summer  evening,  when  whole 
families  of  the  middle  class  come  hither,  bringing  their 
samovars,  and  drinking  their  tumblers  of  tea  flavored  with 
lemonpeel,  in  the  shade  of  the  birch  and  linden  groves, 
the  spectacle  is  exceedingly  animated  and  cheerful.  There 
is  also  in  this  park  a  summer  theatre,  in  which  French  vau 
devilles  are  given. 

Moscow,  however,  can  boast  of  possessing  a  spot  for  sum 
mer  recreation,  the  like  of  which  is  not  to  be  found  in 
Paris.  The  Hermitage,  the  principal  resort  of  the  fashion 
able  world,  is  a  remarkably  picturesque  garden,  with  a 
theatre  and  concert  hall  in  the  open  air.  It  lies  upon  the 
side  of  a  hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  is  a  little  lake,  embow 
ered  in  trees.  Beyond  the  water  rise  massive  zigzag  walls, 
the  fortifications  of  a  Tartar  city,  whose  peaked  roofs  climb 


MOSCOW,    IN-DOOES   AND    OUT.  367 

an  opposite  hill,  and  stretch  far  away  into  the  distance,  the 
farthest  towers  melting  into  the  air.  And  yet  the  whole 
thing  is  a  scenic  illusion.  Three  canvas  frames,  not  a  hun 
dred  yards  from  your  eye,  contain  the  whole  of  it.  Thou 
sands  of  crimson  lamps  illuminate  the  embowered  walks, 
and  on  the  top  of  the  hill  is  a  spacious  auditorium,  inclosed 
by  lamp-lit  arches.  On  a  stage  at  one  end  are  assembled  a 
company  of  Russian  gipsies,  whose  songs  are  as  popular 
here  as  the  Ethiopian  melodies  are  with  us.  The  gipsies 
are  born  singers,  and  among  the  young  girls  who  sing  to 
night  there  are  two  or  three  voices  which  would  create  an 
excitement  even  on  the  boards  of  the  Italian  Opera.  The 
prima  donna  is  a  superb  contralto,  whom  the  Russians  con 
sider  second  only  to  Alboni.  She  is  a  girl  of  twenty-two, 
with  magnificent  hair  of  raven  blackness,  and  flashing  black 
eyes. 

There  are  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  singers,  in  all,  of 
whom  two-thirds  are  females.  A  portion,  only,  appear  to 
be  of  pure  gipsy  blood,  with  the  small  deep-set  eyes  and 
the  tawny  skin  of  Egypt.  Others  are  bright  blond,  with 
blue  eyes,  betraying  at  once  their  parentage  and  the  immo 
rality  of  the  tribe.  The  leader,  a  tall,  slender,  swarthy  man, 
with  a  silver  belt  around  his  waist,  and  a  guitar  in  his  hand, 
takes  his  station  in  front  of  the  women,  who  are  seated  in 
a  row  across  the  stage,  and  strikes  up  a  wild,  barbaric 
melody,  to  which  the  whole  troop  sing  in  chorus.  It  is 
music  of  a  perfectly  original  character,  with  an  undertone 
of  sadness,  such  as  one  remarks  in  the  songs  of  all  rude  na 
tions,  yet  with  recurring  melodies  which  delight  the  ear, 
and  with  a  complete  harmony  in  the  arrangement  of  the 


368  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

parts.  Afterwards  the  swarthy  soprano  sings  the  favorite 
"  Troika"  (three-horse  team),  gliding  through  the  singular 
breaks  and  undulations  of  the  melody  with  a  careless  ease, 
to  which  the  exquisite  purity  of  her  voice  gives  the  highest 
charm.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  there  was  a  dance, 
which  resembled  in  many  respects  that  of  the  Arab  gha- 
wazees,  although  not  quite  so  suggestive. 

My  time  was  so  much  occupied  by  the  many  sights  which 
I  have  been  endeavoring  to  paint  for  the  reader,  that  I  saw 
but  little  of  Moscow  society.  Besides,  my  visit  happened 
at  an  unfavorable  time,  so  many  families  being  absent  in 
the  country  or  on  their  travels.  The  breaking  down  of  the 
obstacles  which  the  late  Emperor  threw  in  the  way  of  Rus 
sians  leaving  their  country,  immediately  poured  a  flood  of 
Russian  travel  upon  the  rest  of  Europe.  Of  the  persons  to 
whom  I  had  letters  of  introduction — among  them  the  dis 
tinguished  author,  Pawlow — not  one  was  at  home.  Through 
the  kindness  of  Col.  Claxton,  however,  I  made  some  very 
pleasant  acquaintances,  and  had  a  glimpse,  at  least,  of  Rus 
sian  society. 

At  a  soiree  one  evening  I  was  very  agreeably  impressed 
with  the  manners  of  the  ladies.  French  is  still  the  language 
of  society,  even  with  the  Russians  themselves,  and  a  know 
ledge  of  it  is  quite  indispensable  to  the  stranger.  English 
and  German  are  occasionally  spoken,  and  with  that  ease 
and  purity  of  accent  for  which  the  Russians  are  distin 
guished.  I  was  glad  to  find  that  those  whom  I  met,  ladies 
as  well  as  gentlemen,  were  thoroughly  familiar  with  their 
own  authors.  A  number  of  names,  which  I  had  never 
heard  of  before,  were  mentioned  with  enthusiasm.  There 


MOSCOW,    IN-DOOES   AND    OUT.  369 

are  several  literary  papers  in  Moscow,  with  a  circulation  of 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  thousand  copies  each. 

Among  the  editors  and  literary  men  of  Moscow  I  found 
some  very  intelligent  gentlemen.  I  was  agreeably  surprised 
at  the  freedom  with  which  the  political  condition  of 'the 
country,  and  the  reforms  in  progress,  are  discussed.  The 
prevailing  sentiment  was  that  of  entire  satisfaction — a  satis 
faction  best  expressed  by  the  earnestness  and  brevity  of  the 
exclamation :  "  If  it  will  only  last ! "  With  regard  to  the 
emancipation  of  the  serfs,  I  was  told  that  public  opinion  is 
decidedly  in  favor  of  it,  including  a  large  majority  of  the 
proprietors.  The  fact  that  the  serfs  themselves,  under  the 
knowledge  of  the  great  change  which  awaits  them,  are  so 
quiet  and  patient,  is  considered  a  promising  sign.  The 
most  difficult  question  connected  with  the  reform  is  that  of 
attaching  the  latter,  for  a  time  at  least,  to  the  domains. 
They  have  the  Nomadic  blood  of  the  Tartars,  and  the 
attempt  is  being  made  to  achieve  by  self-interest  what  has 
been  hitherto  done  by  force.  But  the  nobles  will  not  give 
their  land  for  nothing,  and  the  serfs  will  not  pay  for  what 
they  now  have  gratis.  A  compromise  is  therefore  pro 
posed,  by  which  the  serfs  receive  their  houses,  and  will  be 
allowred  to  purchase  a  certain  portion  of  land  on  easy  terms, 
if  they  choose. 

In  Russia  old  things  are  now  passing  away,  and  a  new 
order  of  things  is  coming  into  existence.  Many  curious 
characteristics  and  customs  which  bear  the  stamp  of  five 
centuries,  are  beginning  to  disappear,  and  this  change  is  at 
last  making  itself  felt  even  in  Moscow — the  very  focus  of 
Russian  nationality.  When  the  Locomotive  once  enters  a 


370  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

city  the  ghosts  of  the  Past  take  flight  for  ever.  Those 
sounding  highways  of  international  communication  are 
more  potent  than  any  ukase  of  Peter  the  Great  to  wean 
the  people  from  their  cherished  superstitions.  Moscow 
may  thus,  gradually,  lose  its  power  of  reproducing  the 
past  conditions  of  the  Russian  people,  but  it  will  always 
faithfully  reflect  their  character.  It  will  always  remain  the 
illuminated  title-page  to  the  history  of  the  empire.  Other 
capitals  may,  in  the  course  of  time,  be  built  on  the  shores 
of  the  Caspian  or  the  banks  of  the  Amoor,  but  they  will 
never  take  away  from  Moscow  its  peculiar  distinction  of 
representing  and  illustrating  the  history,  the  growth,  the 
religion,  the  many-sided  individuality  of  Russia. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

RAILROADS      IN      RUSSIA. 

ON  leaving  Moscow  for  St.  Petersburg  we  were  obliged  to 
take  out  fresh  passports,  giving  up  those  which  we  had 
obtained  in  Warsaw.  As  one  is  required  to  appear  person 
ally,  this  formality  is  a  little  troublesome,  but  we  were  sub 
jected  to  no  questioning,  and  the  documents  were  ready  at 
the  time  promised.  After  paying  the  fees,  we  were  about 
to  leave,  when  the  official  whispered  :  "  You  have  forgotten 
my  tea-money."  The  readiness  with  which  he  changed  a 
note,  while  the  subordinates  looked  the  other  way,  proved 
to  me  that  this  system  of  gratuities  (to  use  a  mild  term)  is 
not  only  general,  but  permitted  by  the  higher  authorities. 
Many  of  the  civil  officers  have  salaries  ranging  from  six  to 
ten  rubles  a  month — barely  enough  to  clothe  them — so  that 
without  this  "  tea-money,"  the  machinery  of  government 
would  move  very  slowly. 

I  also  went  to  the  office  of  the  Censor,  to  inquire  con 
cerning  the  fate  of  the  books  taken  from  me  on  the  Polish 
frontier.  Here  I  was  very  politely  received,  and  was  in- 


372  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

formed  that  the  books  had  not  arrived.  The  Censor 
seemed  a  little  embarrassed,  and  I  half  suspected  that  the 
books  might  be  on  the  prohibited  list.  Kohl's  work,  I  was 
informed,  belongs  to  this  class,  although  I  saw,  in  the  shop- 
windows,  books  which  I  should  have  supposed  were  much 
more  objectionable  than  his.  It  is  permitted  to  all  literary 
and  scientific  men,  however,  to  import  freely  whatever 
works  they  choose.  The  list  of  foreign  newspapers  admitted 
into  Russia  has  recently  been  much  enlarged,  but  they 
also  pass  through  the  Censor's  hands,  and  one  frequently 
sees  paragraphs  or  whole  columns  either  covered  with  a 
coating  of  black  paste,  or  so  nicely  erased  that  no  sign  of 
printer's  ink  is  left. 

During  our  stay  in  Moscow  we  lodged  at  the  Hotel  de 
Dresde,  which  I  can  conscientiously  recommend  to  future 
travellers.  It  is  a  large,  low  building  on  the  Government 
square,  at  the  corner  of  the  Tverskaia  Oulitza,  and  conve 
nient  to  the  Kremlin.  The  only  discomfort,  which  it  shares 
in  common  with  the  other  hotels,  is,  that  the  servants  are 
all  Russian.  We  obtained  a  large,  pleasant  room  for  two 
rubles  a-day,  and  a  dinner,  cooked  in  -the  most  admirable 
style,  for  a  ruble  each.  Other  charges  were  in  the  same 
proportion ;  so  that  the  daily  expense  was  about  $3.  As 
there  is  no  table  d'hote,  the  meals  being  served  in  one's  own 
room,  this  is  rather  below  New  York  prices.  A  German 
author,  who  resided  two  years  in  Moscow,  gave  me  $1,000 
as  a  fair  estimate  of  the  annual  expense  of  living  for  a 
bachelor.  House-rent  and  the  ordinary  necessaries  of  life 
are  cheap ;  but  luxuries  of  all  kinds,  clothing,  etc.,  are  very 
dear. 


KAILKOADS   IN   RUSSIA.  373 

On  the  northern  side  of  the  city,  just  outside  the  low 
earthen  barrier,  stands  the  great  Railroad  Station.  The 
principal  train  for  St.  Petersburg  leaves  daily  at  noon,  and 
reaches  its  destination  the  next  morning  at  eight — 600 
versts,  or  400  English  miles,  in  twenty  hours.  The  fares 
are  respectively  19,  13  and  9  rubles,  for  the  first,  second 
and  third  class.  The  station  building  is  on  the  most  im 
posing  scale,  and  all  the  operations  of  the  road  are  con 
ducted  with  the  utmost  precision  and  regularity,  although 
perhaps  a  little  slower  than  in  other  countries.  The  first- 
class  carriages  are  divided  into  compartments,  and  luxuri 
ously  cushioned,  as  in  England  ;  the  second-class  are  ar 
ranged  exactly  on  the  American  plan  (in  fact,  I  believe 
they  are  built  in  America),  except  that  the  seats  are  not  so 
closely  crowded  together.  The  entrance  is  at  the  end,  over 
a  platform  on  which  the  brakeman  stands,  as  with  us.  As 
the  day  of  our  departure  happened  to  be  Monday,  which  is 
considered  so  unlucky  a  day  among  the  Russians  that  they 
never  travel  when  they  can  avoid  it,  there  was  just  a  com 
fortable  number  of  passengers.  We  bade  adieu  to  our 
obliging  friend,  Col.  Claxton,  whose  kindness  had  contri 
buted  so  much  to  the  interest  of  our  visit,  and,  as  the  dial 
marked  noon,  steamed  off  for  St.  Petersburg. 

Straight  as  sunbeams,  the  four  parallel  lines  of  rail  shoot 
away  to  the  north-west,  and  vanish  far  off  in  a  sharp  point 
on  the  horizon.  Woods,  hills,  swamps,  ravines,  rivers,  may 
intersect  the  road,  but  it  swerves  not  a  hair  from  the  direct 
course,  except  where  such  deflection  is  necessary  to  keep 
the  general  level  between  Moscow  and  the  Volga.  After 
passing  the  Valdai  Hills,  about  half-way  to  St.  Petersburg, 


374  TRAVELS    IX  -POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

the  course  is  almost  as  straight  as  if  drawn  with  a  ruler  for 
the  remaining  two  hundred  miles.  The  Russians  say  this 
road  is  only  to  be  looked  upon  as  an  article  of  luxury. 
The  Emperor  Nicholas  consulted  his  own  convenience  and 
the  facility  of  conveying  troops  rather  than  the  convenience 
of  the  country  and  the  development  of  its  resources.  By 
insisting  upon  the  shortest  possible  distance  between  the 
two  cities,  he  carried  the  road  for  hundreds  of  versts  through 
swamps  where  an  artificial  foundation  of  piles  was  neces 
sary;  while,  by  bending  its  course  a  little  to  the  south, 
nearer  the  line  of  the  highway,  not  only  would  these 
swamps  have  been  avoided,  but  the  cities  of  Novgorod, 
Valdai,  and  Torshok,  with  the  settled  and  cultivated  regions 
around  them,  would  have  shared  in  the  advantages  and 
added  to  the  profits  of  the  road. 

In  its  construction  and  accessories,  one  can  truly  say  that 
this  is  the  finest  railway  in  the  world.  Its  only  drawback 
is  an  occasional  roughness,  the  cause  of  which,  I  suspect, 
lies  in  the  cars  rather  than  the  road  itself.  There  are 
thirty-three  stations  between  Moscow  and  St.  Petersburg. 
At  the  most  of  these,  the  station-houses  are  palaces,  all 
built  exactly  alike,  and  on  a  scale  of  magnificence  which 
scorns  expense.  A  great  deal  of  needless  luxury  has  been 
wasted  upon  them.  The  bridges,  also,  are  models  of 
solidity  and  durability.  Everything  is  on  the  grandest 
scale,  and  the  punctuality  and  exactness  of  the  running  ar 
rangements  are  worthy  of  all  praise.  But  at  what  a  cost 
has  all  this  been  accomplished  !  This  road,  400  miles  in 
length,  over  a  level  country,  with  very  few  cuts,  embank 
ments,  and  bridges,  except  between  Moscow  and  Tver 


RAILROADS   IN   RUSSIA.  375 

(about  one-fourth  of  the  distance),  has  been  built  at  an 
expense  of  120,000,000  of  rubles  ($90,000,000)  or  $225,000 
per  mile.  When  one  takes  into  consideration  the  cheap 
ness  of  labor  in  Russia,  the  sum  becomes  still  more  enor 
mous. 

The  work  was  not  only  conducted  by  American  engineers, 
but  Mr.  Winans,  the  chief-engineer,  is  at  present  carrying 
on  the  running  business  under  a  contract  with  the  Govern 
ment.  His  principal  assistants  are  also  Americans.  This 
contract,  which  was  originally  for  ten  years,  has  yet  three 
years  to  run,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Winans  will  be 
able  to  live  upon  what  he  has  earned.  His  annual  profit 
upon  the  contract  is  said  to  be  one  million  rubles.  Some 
idea  of  its  liberal  character  may  be  obtained  from  the  fact 
that  his  allowance  for  grease  alone  is  three  silver  copeks  a 
verst  for  each  wheel — about  3j  cents  a  mile ;  or,  with  an 
ordinary  train,  some  $700  for  the  run  from  Moscow  to  St. 
Petersburg.  His  own  part  of  the  contract  is  faithfully  and 
admirably  discharged,  and  he  is  of  course  fairly  entitled  to 
all  he  can  make.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  however? 
that  the  receipts  of  the  road  in  1857  exceeded  the  expendi 
tures  by  a  few  thousand  rubles  only. 

The  fact  is,  even  yet,  the  road  does  not  appear  to  be  con 
ducted  with  a  view  to  profit.  The  way  traffic  and  travel 
which  railroad  companies  elsewhere  make  it  a  point  to  en 
courage,  is  here  entirely  neglected.  There  are  none  but 
through  trains,  and  but  a  single  passenger  train  daily. 
Besides  this,  no  freight  is  taken  at  the  way  stations,  unless 
there  should  happen  to  be  a  little  room  to  spare,  after  the 
through  freight  is  cared  for.  Tver,  through  which  the  road 


376  TIIAVELS    IN   POLAND    AND    EUSSIA. 

passes,  is  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Volga,  and, 
after  Nijni  Novgorod,  the  chief  centre  of  trade  with  the 
regions  watered  by  that  mighty  river,  as  far  as  the  Caspian 
Sea ;  yet,  I  am  informed,  there  is  no  special  provision  made 
for  affording  the  facilities  of  communication  which  the 
place  so  much  needs. 

Russia,  however,  is  soon  to  be  covered  with  a  general 
system  of  railroad  communication,  which,  when  completed, 
must  exercise  a  vast  influence  on  her  productive  and  com 
mercial  activity.  A  road  from  Moscow  to  Nijni  Novgorod 
on  the  Volga,  where  the  grand  annual  fair  is  held,  has  been 
commenced,  and  will  probably  be  finished  in  from  three  to 
five  years.  The  distance  is  about  250  miles,  and  the  esti 
mated  expense  $50,000  per  mile.  The  road  from  St.  Peters 
burg  to  Warsaw — a  little  over  700  miles  in  length — has 
been  in  progress  for  some  years  past,  and  will  be  finished, 
it  is  said,  by  the  close  of  the  year  1860.  In  September, 
1858,  it  was  opened  as  far  as  Pskov  (German  "Pleskow"), 
at  the  head  of  Lake  Peipus,  and  will  probably  reach  Dwina- 
burg,  whence  a  branch  road  to  Riga  is  now  building,  in  the 
course  of  1859.  Near  Kovno  it  will  be  intersected  by 
another  branch  from  Konigsburg,  via  Tilsit  and  Gumbin- 
neu,  whereby  there  will  be  a  direct  communication  between 
St.  Petersburg  and  Berlin. 

The  other  projected  roads,  the  building  of  which  has 
been  contracted  for  by  a  French  company,  but  not  yet  com 
menced,  are  from  Libau,  on  the  Baltic,  easterly  through 
Witepsk  and  Smolensk  to  the  large  manufacturing  town  of 
Tula,  112  miles  south  of  Moscow ;  and  another  from  the 
latter  city  to  Charkoff,  in  the  Ukraine,  with  branches  to 


EAILKOADS   IN   KUSSIA.  377 

Odessa  and  the  Crimea.  The  former  of  these  will  be  nearly 
700  miles  in  length,  and  the  latter  at  least  1,000.  The 
cheapest  plan  for  the  Russian  Government  to  build  rail 
roads,  would  undoubtedly  be,  to  permit  the  formation  of 
private  companies  for  that  purpose.  In  Middle  and  South 
ern  Russia,  the  cost  of  construction  would  certainly  be  no 
greater  than  in  Illinois,  where,  if  I  remember  rightly,  the 
roads  are  built  for  half  the  amount  of  the  lowest  estimate  I 
heard  given  in  Moscow.  The  effect  of  these  improvements 
upon  the  internal  condition  of  Russia  can  hardly  be  over 
valued.  They  are  in  fact  but  the  commencement  of  a  still 
grander  system  of  communication,  which,  little  by  little, 
will  thrust  its  iron  feelers  into  Asia,  and  grapple  with  the 
inertia  of  four  thousand  years. 

To  return  to  our  journey.  The  halts  at  the  way  stations 
were  rather  long — five,  ten,  fifteen  minutes,  and  at  Tver, 
where  we  arrived  at  five  o'clock,  half  an  hour  for  dinner. 
In  this  respect,  as  in  every  other,  the  arrangements  were 
most  convenient  and  complete.  We  had  a  good  meal  at  a 
reasonable  price,  and  were  allowed  a  rational  time  to  eat  it. 
At  every  one  of  the  other  stations  there  was  a  neat  booth 
provided  with  beer,  qvass,  soda  water,  lemonade,  cigars, 
and  pastry.  Most  of  the  passengers  got  out  and  smoked 
their  cigarettes  at  these  places,  as  the  practice  is  not  allowed 
inside  the  cars.  There  is  a  second-class  carriage  especially 
for  smokers,  but  one  is  obliged  to  take  out  a  license  to 
smoke  there,  for  which  he  pays  ten  rubles.  The  Russians 
are  nearly  all  smokers,  but  the  custom  is  very  strictly  pro 
hibited  in  the  streets  of  cities,  and  even  in  the  small  coun 
try  villages. 


378  TKAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   EUSSIA. 

The  country,  slightly  undulating  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Moscow,  becomes  level  as  you  approach  the  Volga.  The 
monotony  of  which  I  have  spoken  in  a  previous  chapter,  is 
its  prevailing  characteristic.  Great  stretches  of  swamp  or 
of  pasture-ground,  fields  of  rye  and  barley,  and  forests  of 
fir  and  birch,  succeed  one  another,  in  unvarying  sameness. 
Now  and  then  you  have  a  wide  sweep  of  horizon — a  green 
sea,  streaked  with  rosy  foam-drifts  of  flowers — a  luxuriant 
summer-tangle  of  copse  and  woodland,  or  a  white  village 
church,  with  green  domes,  rising  over  a  silvery  lake  of  rye ; 
and  these  pictures,  beautiful  in  themselves,  do  not  become 
less  so  by  repetition.  The  Volga  is  certainly  the  most  inter 
esting  object  in  the  whole  course  of  the  journey.  Tver,  a 
city  of  20,000  inhabitants,  on  its  right  bank,  is  conspicuous 
from  the  number  of  its  spires  and  domes.  Along  the  bank 
lie  scores  of  flat-bottomed  barges,  rafts,  and  vessels  of  light 
draft.  The  river  here  is  scarcely  so  large  as  the  Hudson 
at  Albany,  flowing  in  a  sandy  bed,  with  frequent  shallows. 
But,  like  the  Danube  at  Ulm,  it  is  not  the  smallness  of  the 
stream  which  occupies  your  thoughts.  You  follow  the 
waters,  in  imagination,  to  the  old  towns  of  Yaroslav  and 
Nijni  Novgorod,  to  the  Tartar  Kazan  and  the  ruins  of  Bui- 
gar,  through  the  steppes  of  the  Cossacks  and  Kirghizes,  to 
the  Caspian  Sea  and  the  foot  of  ancient  Caucasus. 

The  sky  was  heavily  overcast,  so  that,  in  spite  of  our 
high  latitude,  the  night  was  dark.  I  therefore  did  not  see 
the  Valdai  hills,  which  we  passed  towards  midnight — the 
only  real  hills  in  Russia  proper,  west  of  the  Ural  Mountains. 
It  was  among  these  hills  that  Alexander  I.  intrenched  him 
self,  to  await  Napoleon.  When  the  morning  twilight  came, 


RAILROADS    IN   RUSSIA.  379 

we  were  in  the  midst  of  the  swampy  region,  careering 
straight  forward,  on  and  on,  over  the  boundless  level.  The 
only  object  of  note  was  the  large  and  rapid  river  Yolchoff, 
flowing  from  the  Ilmen  Lake  at  Novgorod  northward  into 
Lake  Ladoga.  The  road  crosses  it  by  a  magnificent  Ameri 
can  bridge. 

Some  fifty  or  sixty  versts  before  reaching  St.  Petersburg, 
we  passed  through  a  large  estate  belonging  to  the  rich 
Russian,  Kokoreif,  who  has  lately  been  distinguishing  him 
self  by  the  prominent  part  he  has  taken  in  all  measures 
tending  to  the  improvement  of  his  country — the  emancipa 
tion  of  the  serfs,  the  steamboat  companies  of  the  Dnieper 
and  Dniester,  the  formation  of  a  moneyed  association  for 
encouraging  manufactures,  &c.  This  Kokoreif  was  the 
son  of  a  common  peasant,  and  commenced  life  by  keeping 
a  cheap  brandy-shop.  He  gradually  prospered,  and,  being 
a  man  of  much  natural  shrewdness  and  energy,  took  the 
contract  for  the  brandy  revenue  of  the  whole  Empire, 
which  is  farmed  out.  He  is  worth  about  seven  millions  of 
rubles,  much  of  which  he  has  invested  in  landed  property. 
He  has  now  set  himself  to  work  to  introduce  improvements 
in  agriculture,  and  his  estate  presents  a  striking  contrast  to 
that  of  his  neighbors.  Neat,  comfortable  houses  for  the 
laborers,  spacious  barns  for  the  grain,  forests  trimmed  and 
protected,  meadows  drained,  rough  land  cleared  and  pre 
pared  for  culture — these  were  some  of  the  features  which 
struck  my  eye,  as  we  rushed  along.  Kokoreff  is  charged 
by  some  with  being  extravagant  and  fantastic  in  his 
views,  and  therefore  an  unsafe  example  to  follow;  but  a 
man  who  makes  such  an  employment  of  his  means,  cannot 


380  TRAVELS    IN   POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

do  otherwise    than  work    real   and   lasting   good  for   his 
country.  » 

By  and  by  vegetable  gardens  succeeded  to  the  swamps, 
villages  became  more  frequent,  houses,  smoking  factories, 
and  workshops  on  our  right,  then  a  level,  uniform  mass  of 
buildings,  over  which  towered  some  golden-tipped  spires, 
and  at  eight  o'clock,  precisely,  we  landed  in  the  station  at 
St.  Petersburg. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

ST.     PETERSBURG     AND     ITS     PALACES. 

No  two  cities  can  be  more  unlike  than  Moscow  and  St. 
Petersburg;  they  scarcely  appear  to  have  been  built  by 
the  same  people.  Were  it  not  for  some  of  the  older 
churches,  which  seem  curiously  out  of  place,  a  traveller 
coming  from  the  former  city,  would  imagine  that  he  had 
already  left  Russia.  The  strange,  fantastic,  picturesque, 
Tartar  character  has  disappeared,  and  all  that  one  sees  is 
suggestive  of  Western  Europe.  This  is  but  the  first  im 
pression,  however.  The  second  is  that  of  a  power  so  colossal 
as  to  coerce  nature  herself — a  power  which  can  only  be 
developed  when  unbounded  resources  are  placed  under 
the  direction  of  a  single  will — and  herein  we  again  recog 
nise  Russia.  St.  Petersburg  is  also  a  marvel  in  its  way, 
and  if  the  interest  which  it  excites  is  of  a  totally  different 
character  from  that  which  one  feels  in  Moscow,  it  is  no  less 
imposing  and  permanent. 

No  man  except  Peter  the  Great  would  have  conceived 
the  idea  of  building  a  city  here.     Yet,  if  we  leave  out  of 


382  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

sight  the  physical  difficulties  against  which  he  had  to  con 
tend,  and  consider  not  only  the  character  of  his  ambition, 
but  the  inadequateness  of  any  other  site  on  the  Baltic 
coast  to  meet  its  designs,  we  cannot  see  that  he  could  have 
done  otherwise.  Had  he  selected  Nijni  Novgorod,  as  he 
first  intended,  the  heart  of  Russian  power  would  have  been 
placed  on  the  borders  of  Asia,  still  further  from  the  influ 
ence  of  European  civilization.  Russia,  in  this  case,  would 
never  have  attained  to  a  first  place  in  the  councils  of  Euro 
pean  nations.  It  was  necessary  to  approach  the  west. 
Finland  and  Livonia  were  at  that  time  in  the  possession  of 
Sweden,  and  Poland  was  still  a  nation.  Peter's  choice, 
therefore,  was  restricted  to  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Fin 
land.  Here,  truly,  he  might  have  found  other  sites  pre 
senting  fewer  natural  obstacles,  but  at  the  same  time  fewer 
natural  advantages.  The  Neva,  through  which  the  largest 
lake  in  Europe  pours  its  waters  into  the  sea,  afforded  a 
ready-made  communication,  not  only  with  Novgorod  and 
Onega,  but  with  a  large  portion  of  that  Finland  whose 
acquisition  he  even  then  foresaw,  while  the  island  of  Cron- 
stadt,  guarding  the  entrance  from  the  Gulf,  offered  a  fitting 
station  for  his  infant  navy.  The  extreme  high  latitude  of 
the  new  capital  was  even  an  advantage  :  winter  was  his 
ally  then,  as  it  has  been  the  best  ally  of  Russia  in  later 
times.  And  the  wisdom  of  his  selection  has  just  again 
been  demonstrated,  when  the  combined  naval  strength  of 
Europe  lay  before  Cronstadt  and  did  not  dare  to  attack  it. 
But  nothing  short  of  that  genius,  which  is  the  same  thing 
as  madness  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  would  have  undertaken 
the  work.  Here,  where  the  Neva,  a  broad,  full,  rapid 


ST.   PETERSBURG   AND   ITS   PALACES.  383 

stream,  spreads  itself  out  among  swampy  islands,  completely 
flooding  them  when  the  spring  freshets  have  burst  the  ice, 
and  where  a  strong  south-west  wind  drives  the  waters  of 
the  Gulf  high  over  the  highest  land  the  city  stands  upon, 
have  arisen  clusters  of  gigantic  edifices,  mountains  of  ma 
sonry,  in  their  solid  durability  bidding  defiance  to  the 
unstable  soil.  The  marshy  shores  of  the  river  are  hidden 
under  league-long  quays  of  massive  granite;  millions  of 
piles  bear  aloft  the  tremendous  weight  of  palaces,  churches, 
obelisks,  and  bridges;  arid  four  grand  canals,  passing 
through  arid  around  the  city,  so  tap  the  Neva  of  his 
menacing  strength  that  the  fearful  inundations  of  former 
years  cannot  be  repeated.  One  hundred  and  fifty  years 
have  passed  away  since  Peter  built  his  cottage  in  the  midst 
of  an  uninhabited  wilderness,  and  now  there  stands  on  the 
spot  one  of  the  first  of  European  capitals,  with  a  population 
of  more  than  half  a  million. 

The  town  was  first  commenced  on  the  northern  bank  of 
the  Neva,  on  the  Aptekarskoi,  or  Apothecary's  Island. 
In  cold  climates,  a  man  always  builds  his  house  fronting  the 
south.  Very  soon,  however,  the  southern  bank  received 
the  preference,  on  account  of  its  convenience  and  its  prox 
imity  to  a  little  rising  ground.  At  present  three-quarters 
of  the  city,  if  not  more,  are  south  of  the  Neva,  the  remain 
ing  portion  being  scattered  over  the  two  large  islands  of 
Aptekarskoi  and  Vassili  Ostrov.  Those  who  know  Berlin, 
can  form  a  tolerable  idea  of  those  parts  of  St.  Petersburg 
distant  from  the  river.  The  streets  are  alike  broad  and 
regular,  the  houses  high,  massive,  and  plain.  But  there  is 
not  the  sameness  and  tameness  of  the  Prussian  capital. 


384  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

Even  in  July,  when  the  Court  was  absent,  the  fashionable 
world  off  on  its  travels,  and  nobody  at  home,  it  was  as 
lively  a  city  as  one  could  well  wish  to  see.  Five  thousand 
droshkies  and  as  many  carriages  rattle  hither  and  thither 
from  morning  till  night — or  rather,  continuously,  for  you 
can  see  to  read  in  the  streets  at  midnight,  and  they  are 
then  by  no  means  deserted.  Where  the  summer  is  so 
fleeting  it  is  doubly  enjoyed,  and  during  those  long,  deli 
cious  twilights,  especially,  no  one  remains  indoors  who  can 
get  out. 

The  approach  to  the  city  from  the  land  side  is  particu 
larly  tame.  On  such  a  dead  level  the  first  block  of  build 
ings  shuts  out  the  view  of  everything  beyond,  and  even 
when  you  reach  the  N'evskoi  ProspeJct — the  Broadway  of 
St.  Petersburg — and  look  down  its  vista  of  three  miles,  the 
only  thing  you  see  is  the  gilded  spire  of  the  Admiralty 
Building,  at  the  end.  On  the  Neva,  only,  and  the  Admi 
ralty  Square,  can  you  get  anything  like  a  picture  broad 
enough  to  copy  and  carry  away  in  your  mind.  Proceeding 
down  the  Nevskoi  Prospekt  to  this  central  point,  you  are 
not  particularly  struck  with  the  architecture  on  either  hand. 
Everything  is  large,  substantial,  and  imposing,  but  nothing 
more.  Even  the  Annitshkoff  Palace,  which  you  see  on  the 
right,  as  you  approach  the  Fontanka  Canal,  does  not  parti 
cularly  impress  you.  The  bridge  over  the  canal,  however, 
demands  more  than  a  passing  glance.  At  each  end  are 
two  groups  in  bronze  by  a  Russian  sculptor,  whose  name  I 
am  sorry  not  to  know.  They  are  called  the  Horse-Ta 
mers,  each  representing  a  man  and  horse,  engaged  in  a 
violent  struggle  for  the  mastership.  The  style  of  taming 


ST.    PETERSBURG   AND    ITS   PALACES.  385 

has  no  resemblance  to  Mr.  Rarey's,  but  the  figures  are  very 
bold  and  spirited.  The  Emperor  Nicholas  presented  copies 
of  two  of  these  groups  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  who  placed 
them  on  the  corners  of  the  Museum  front,  hi  Berlin,  where 
they  have  been  christened  by  the  people,  "  Progress  Pre 
vented  "  and  "  Reaction  Encouraged." 

Continuing  our  course  down  the  Nevskoi  Prospekt,  we 
pass  in  succession,  on  the  right,  the  Alexander  Theatre, 
the  Gostinnoi  Dvor,  or  Great  Bazaar,  and  the  Cathedral  of 
Our  Lady  of  Kazan.  The  latter  is  built  of  gray  Finland 
granite,  with  a  circular  colonnade  in  front,  copied  from  that 
of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  In  the  open  space  inclosed  by  the 
colonnade  are  bronze  statues  of  Kutusoff  and  Barclay  de 
Tolly.  The  buildings  on  either  hand  become  more  lofty 
and  imposing,  the  throng  in  the  street  greater,  and  soon 
after  crossing  the  last  of  the  canals,  the  Moika,  we  enter 

* 

the  famous  Admiralty  Square — the  grand  centre  of  St. 
Petersburg,  around  which  are  grouped  its  most  important 
buildings  and  monuments.  Here  everything  is  on  such  a 
grand  scale,  that  the  magnitude  of  the  different  objects  is 
at  first  not  apparent  to  the  eye.  The  Square  is  about  a 
mile  in  length,  by  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  breadth.  In  front 
of  us  is  the  Admiralty  Building,  with  a  front  of  1,500  feet, 
and  wrings  resting  on  the  Neva,  650  feet  in  length.  To  the 
right  of  it  is  the  Whiter  Palace,  with  700  feet  front,  and 
still  further  the  Hermitage,  nearly  as  large.  Opposite 
these  two  is  the  Hotel  de  1'Etat  Major,  of  corresponding 
proportions,  while  the  Alexander  Column — a  monolith  of 
red  granite,  160  feet  in  height,  including  pedestal  and 
capital — rises  from  the  centre  of  the  square  between. 

17 


386  TRAVELS    IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

Turning  to  the  left,  we  see  the  huge  golden  dome  of  the 
Izaak's  Cathedral  lifted  between  three  and  four  hundred 
feet  into  the  air,  and  gleaming  like  a  fallen  sun  on  the 
summit  of  granite  mountain.  The  western  end  of  the  great 
square  is  taken  up  by  the  Synod  and  Senate  Houses,  whose 
fronts  are  united  in  one  long  fa9ade  by  a  sort  of  triumphal 
arch.  Between  them  and  the  Admiralty,  on  the  bank  of 
the  Neva,  is  the  celebrated  equestrian  statue  of  Peter  the 
Great. 

Here  are  the  elements  of  an  architectural  panorama  of 
the  grandest  kind,  yet  the  general  effect  is  by  no  means 
such  as  one  would  anticipate,  and  simply  because  one 
indispensable  condition  has  been  overlooked^— proportion. 
With  the  exception  of  the  Izaak's  Cathedral,  there  is  not 
a  single  edifice  in  this  square  which  is  not  much  too  low 
for  the  extent  of  its  basev  Hence  they  all  appear  to  be 
lower  than  is  really  the  fact,  and  as  they  are  of  very  nearly 
uniform  height,  the  eye  ranges  around  the  square  seeking 
in  vain  for  some  picturesque  break  in  the  splendid  mono 
tony.  A  skilful  architect  might  have  at  least  mitigated  this 
fault,  but  those  who  planned  the  Admiralty  and  the  Winter 
Palace  seem  to  have  been  even  incapable  of  perceiving 
it.  The  latter  building  is  quite  disfigured  by  the  placing 
of  a  sort  of  half-story  above  the  true  cornice.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Izaak's  Cathedral,  of  which  I  shall  have 
more  to  say  presently,  is  one  of  the  very  finest  specimens 
of  modern  architecture  in  existence.  It  stands  in  the 
centre  of  a  small  square  of  its  own,  opening  into  that  of 
the  Admiralty  at  its  western  end;  and  here,  decidedly,  is 
the  most  striking  view  in  St.  Petersburg.  On  one  side  is 


ST.    PETERSBURG   AND   ITS   PALACES.  387 

the  Cathedral,  on  the  other  the  Neva,  against  whose  spark 
ling  current  and  the  long  line  of  buildings  on  the  northern 
bank  gallops  Peter  on  his  huge  block  of  granite ;  while  far 
in  front  the  Alexander  Column,  soaring  high  above  the 
surrounding  buildings,  is  seen  in  its  true  proportions. 

Crossing  the  Square,  between  the  Admiralty  Building 
and  the  Winter  Palace,  we  stand  upon  the  bank  of  the 
Nera.  Directly  opposite  opens  the  main  branch,  or  little 
Neva,  dividing  Vassili  Ostrov  and  the  Aptekarskoi  Islands. 
The  river  is  here  more  than  a  third  of  a  mile  in  breadth, 
of  a  clear,  pale  green  color,  and  rapid  current.  At  the 
intersection  of  the  two  arms,  on  Vassili  Ostrov,  stands  the 
Exchange,  a  square  building  with  a  Grecian  fagade.  To 
the  left  of  it  is  the  long  front  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences, 
then  the  Academy  of  Arts,  and  at  the  extremity  of  our 
view,  where  the  main  branch  of  the  Neva  turns  northward 
into  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  the  School  of  Mines.  In  front 
of  the  Aptekarskoi,  and  separated  from  it  only  by  a  moat, 
is  the  old  fortress  of  Peter  and  Paul,  now  a  prison  for 
nobles,  with  its  tall-spired  church,  in  the  vaults  of  which 
rest  Peter  the  Great  and  all  the  monarchs  since  his  time. 
On  the  southern  bank,  on  which  we  stand,  a  row  of  palaces 
stretches  away  on  our  right  to  the  Trinity  Bridge,  beyond 
which  we  see  the  green  linden-trees  of  the  Summer  Gardens. 
From  either  shore  of  the  river,  or  from  the  bridges  which 
span  it,  the  pictures  are  always  broad,  bright,  and  cheerful. 
Splendid  granite  stairways  lead  down  to  the  water,  gayly- 
painted  boats  dart  to  and  fro,  little  steamers  keep  up  a 
communication  with  the  further  islands,  and  the  miles  of 
massive  quay  on  either  side  are  thronged  with  a  busy 


388  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

populace.  Here  the  midsummer  heat  is  always  tempered 
by  a  delightful  breeze,  and  the  very  sight  of  the  dancing 
water  is  cooling,  under  the  pale,  hot,  quiet  sky.  I  do  not 
wonder  at  the  enthusiasm  of  the  St.  Petersburgers  for  the 
Neva.  Its  water  is  so  remarkably  soft  and  sweet  that  they 
prefer  it  to  all  other  water  in  the  world.  The  Emperor 
Alexander  always  carried  a  supply  with  him,  bottled,  when 
he  was  absent  from  the  capital.  The  stranger,  however, 
cannot  drink  it  with  impunity,  as  its  effect  on  an  unaccus 
tomed  body  is  medicinal  in  the  highest  degree. 

The  Winter  Palace  stands  upon  the  site  of  the  old  one, 
which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1837.  Kohl's  account  of 
this  latter  structure  is  worth  quoting.  "  The  suits  of 
apartments  were  perfect  labyrinths,  and  even  the  chief  of 
the  Imperial  household,  who  had  filled  that  post  for  twelve 
years,  was  not  perfectly  acquainted  with  all  the  nooks  and 
corners  of  the  building.  As  in  the  forests  of  great  land 
holders,  many  colonies  are  settled  of  which  the  owner 
takes  no  notice,  so  there  nestled  many  a  one  in  this  palace 
not  included  among  the  regular  inhabitants.  For  example, 
the  watchmen  on  the  roof,  placed  there  for  different 
purposes,  among  others  to  keep  the  water  in  the  tanks  from 
freezing  during  the  winter,  by  casting  in  red-hot  balls,  built 
themselves  huts  between  the  chimneys,  took  their  wives 
and  children  there,  and  even  kept  poultry  and  goats,  which 
fed  on  the  grass  of  the  roof:  it  is  said  that  at  last  some 
cows  were  introduced,  but  this  abuse  had  been  corrected 
before  the  palace  was  burnt."  Fortunately,  the  new  palace 
is  not  so  labyrinthine,  though  of  e  \\r.\\  extent.  During 
the  residence  of  Nicholas  there,  6,000  persons  frequently 


ST.    PETERSBURG    AND    ITS   PALACES.  389 

lived  in  it  at  one  time.  Strangers  are  freely  allowed  to 
visit  all  parts  of  it,  on  presenting  a  ticket,  which  the  major- 
domo  gives  on  application.  Formerly,  the  visitor  was 
obliged  to  appear  in  full  dress,  but  in  the  general  relaxation 
of  laws  and  customs  which  has  followed  the  accession  of 
Alexander  II.,  this  rule  has  also  been  given  up.  Our 
Minister,  Mr.  Seymour,  informed  me  that  the  Emperor 
receives  American  citizens  in  ordinary  civil  dress,  not 
requiring  them  to  appear  in  Court  costume. 

There  is  no  other  Court  in  Europe  which,  with  such 
immense  means  and  such  magnificent  appointments,  pre 
serves  so  great  a  simplicity.  The  freedom  from  ostentation 
or  parade  in  the  Imperial  Family  of  Russia,  except  upon 
•stated  occasions,  is  a  very  agreeable  feature.  Nowhere 
else  does  the  monarch  walk  about  his  capital,  unattended. 
The  Empress,  even,  may  take  a  stroll,  if  she  likes.  We 
met  one  day  the  Czarevitch,  or  Crown  Prince,  with  two  of 
his  younger  brothers,  in  a  plain  two-horse  carriage,  with  a 
single  soldier  as  footman.  These  fine,  fresh,  handsome 
boys  were  quite  alone,  and  looked  as  if  they  were  compe 
tent  to  take  care  of  themselves.  The  grandfather  of  the 
reigning  Empress  Avas  a  /Stallmeister  (Master  of  the  Horse) 
in  Darmstadt,  and  she  is  probably  indebted  to  him  for  her 
prudent,  amiable,  sensible  character.  Nicholas  was  aware 
of  her  descent,  but  he  wisely  gave  his  sons  perfect  freedom 
to  choose  their  own  wives,  and  welcomed  her  as  cordially 
as  if  her  ancestry  dated  from  Julius  Caesar.  In  visiting  the 
palace,  I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  cheerful  plainness 
of  the  private  apartments,  which  contrasted  remarkably 
with  the  pomp  and  dazzle  of  those  for  state  occasions. 


390  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

To  describe  minutely  all  that  I  saw  in  the  Winter  Palace 
would  take  up  several  chapters.  We  were  between  two 
and  three  hours  in  walking  slowly  through  the  principal 
halls  and  chambers.  A  large  number  of  these  are  devoted  to 
pictures,  principally  portraits  and  battle  scenes.  A  large 
room  contains  several  hundred  portraits  of  the  officers  who 
served  against  Napoleon  in  1813-14.  Then  follows  the  Hall 
of  the  Marshals,  with  few  and  full-length  figures,  some  of 
which  are  of  great  historical  interest.  Potemkin  is  here 
represented  in  full  armor,  a  tall,  Apollonian  figure,  over  six 
feet  in  height,  with  a  fine  oval  head,  regular  and  handsome 
features,  soft  blue  eyes,  and  curly  golden  hair.  Suwarrow 
is  a  short  man,  with  large  benevolent  head,  very  broad  in 
the  temples,  where  phrenologists  place  the  organ  of  con- 
structiveness.  He  wears  a  plain  leather  jacket  and  breeches, 
and  resembles  nothing  so  much  as  an  old  Quaker  preacher. 
Barclay  de  Tolly  is  tall,  slender,  stern,  and  thoughtful,  with 
a  prematurely  bald  head  ;  Kutusoff  short,  thick,  coarse,  and 
heavy-featured.  In  striking  contrast  with  these  personages 
is  Wellington,  with  his  cold,  prim,  English  face  and  small 
head. 

The  battle  pieces  represent  all  the  noted  fields  in  which 
Russian  arms  have  been  engaged,  from  Narva  to  Inker- 
mann — not  merely  an  ostentatious  display  of  victories,  but 
important  defeats  as  well,  so  that  the  series  presents  a  true 
historical  interest.  Narva  receives  as  prominent  a  place  as 
Pultava,  Borodino  as  Leipzig,  Silistria  as  Ismail.  Many  of 
the  later  pictures  are  fine  works  of  art :  the  illustrations  of 
the  Persian  and  Circassian  wars,  especially,  are  full  of  rich 
dramatic  effect.  Altogether,  this  gallery  will  compare 


ST.    PETEESBUEG   AND   ITS   PALACES.  391 

very  well  with  that  of  Versailles.  One  of  the  most  inter 
esting  halls  is  that  devoted  to  the  coronation  gifts  received 
by  Alexander,  Nicholas,  and  the  present  Emperor.  The 
ancient  custom  is  still  preserved,  of  each  province  through 
out  the  Empire  sending  bread  and  salt  as  a  token  of  wel 
come.  But  the  loaf  is  carried  upon  a  massive  salver  of  gold 
and  silver,  of  the  rarest  workmanship,  and  the  salt  in  a  box 
or  cup  of  the  same  material,  studded  with  jewels.  The 
salvers  presented  to  the  two  former  Emperors  rise  in  daz- 
ling  pyramids  from  the  floor  nearly  to  the  ceiling,  but  they 
are  far  outshone  by  those  of  Alexander  II.,  who  received 
just  as  much  as  his  father  and  uncle  together.  If  the 
wealth  lavished  upon  these  offerings  is  an  index  to  the 
popular  feeling,  it  is  a  happy  omen  for  his  reign.  The 
taste,  richness,  and  variety  of  the  ornaments  bestowed  upon 
the  mighty  golden  salvers  exceeds  anything  of  the  kind  I 
ever  saw.  Their  value  can  only  be  estimated  by  millions. 
It  is  significant,  perhaps,  that  the  largest  and  most  superb, 
which  occupies  the  place  of  honor,  in  the  centre  of  the 
glorious  pile,  is  the  offering  of  the  serfs  of  the  Imperial 
domains. 

We  were  admitted  into  the  room  containing  the  crown 
jewels,  which  are  arranged  in  glass  cases,  according  to 
their  character  and  value.  In  the  centre  is  the  crown  of 
Alexander,  a  hemisphere  of  the  purest  diamonds :  beside 
it  the  sceptre,  containing  the  famous  brilliant  purchased  by 
Catherine  II.  from  a  Greek  slave,  and  for  a  time  supposed 
to  be  the  largest  in  the  world.  It  turns  out  to  be  smaller 
than  the  Koh-i-nor,  though  (to  my  eyes,  at  least,)  of  a 
purer  water.  There  is  not  a  quarter  so  many  jewels  here 


392  TKAVELS   IN  POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

as  in  the  Treasury  at  Moscow,  yet  their  value  far  exceeds 
that  of  the  latter.  The  stones  are  of  the  largest  and  rarest 
kind,  and  the  splendor  of  their  tints  is  a  delicious  intoxica 
tion  to  the  eye.  The  soul  of  all  the  fiery  roses  of  Persia  lives 
in  these  rubies ;  the  freshness  of  all  velvet  sward,  whether 
in  Alpine  valley  or  English  lawn,  in  these  emeralds ;  the 
bloom  of  southern  seas  in  these  sapphires,  and  the  essence 
of  a  thousand  harvest  moons  in  these  necklaces  of  pearl. 

Before  leaving  the  Palace  we  were  conducted  to  a  small 
room  in  the  first  story,  in  the  north-western  corner.  Two 
Imperial  guardsmen  stood  at  the  door,  and  two  old  servants 
in  livery  were  in  a  little  ante-room,  one  of  whom  accom 
panied  us  into  the  narrow  chamber  where  Nicholas  lived 
and  died.  Nothing  has  been  changed  since  his  body  was 
carried  out  of  it.  The  hard  camp-bed  (so  small  and  narrow 
that  I  should  not  wish  to  sleep  upon  it)  stands  there,  beside 
his  writing-table.  On  a  stool  at  the  foot  lies  his  dressing- 
gown.  His  comb,  brushes,  gloves,  pocket-handkerchief, 
knife,  and  pencil  are  carelessly  laid  upon  a  small  toilet-table? 
under  a  very  moderate-sized  looking-glass.  A  plain,  green 
carpet  covers  the  floor,  and  the  half  dozen  chairs  are  lined 
with  green  leather.  The  walls  are  almost  concealed  by 
pictures,  either  landscapes  or  battle-pieces,  and  few  of  them 
of  any  value.  Just  over  his  pillow  is  a  picture  of  a  very 
pretty  young  girl  dressed  as  a  soldier.  It  was  scarcely 
possible  to  believe  that  the  occupant  of  this  room  had  been 
dead  for  more  than  three  years.  Every  object  suggests 
life,  and  while  we  are  examining  them  we  half  expect  to 
see  that  colossal  figure,  which  all  Europe  knew  so  well, 
appear  at  the  door.  The  only  thing  which  has  been  added 


ST.    PETERSBURG   AND   ITS   PALACES.  393 

is  a  very  beautiful  drawing  of  the  Emperor's  head,  after 
death.  The  expression  upon  the  face  is  that  of  pain  and 
trouble,  not  the  serene,  impenetrable  calm  which  it  wore 
during  life. 

The  Hermitage,  adjoining  the  Winter  Palace,  was  built 
by  Catherine,  as  a  place  of  escape  from  the  fatigue  of  Court 
ceremonials,  and  of  quiet  conversation  with  a  few  privileged 
persons.  The  name  seems  to  have  been  jestingly  or  ironi 
cally  given.  Who  would  not  be  a  hermit  in  this  immense 
pile,  wrhose  walls  are  of  marble,  blazing  with  gold,  whose 
floors  are  of  the  choicest  inlaid  woods,  and  whose  furniture 
is  of  the  rarest  and  most  costly  workmanship  in  porphpry, 
jasper,  lapiz-lazuli  and  malachite  ?  Such  splendor  is  now  out 
of  place,  since  the  palace  has  been  given  up  to  the  Arts.  The 
vast  collection  of  pictures  accumulated  by  the  Russian  Em 
perors  is  here  displayed,  together  with  a  gallery  of  sculp 
ture,  one  of  the  finest  assortments  of  antique  gems  in  the 
world,  a  collection  of  Grecian  and  Etruscan  antiquities,  and 
a  library  of  rare  books  and  manuscripts.  The  picture  gal 
lery  is  particularly  rich  in  the  works  of  Rubens,  Vandyke, 
Rembrandt,  Murillo,  and  the  Dutch  school,  and  though  it 
contains  few  celebrated  master-pieces,  the  number  of  really 
good  pictures  is  remarkable.  They  occupy  between  forty 
and  fifty  large  halls,  and  a  man  cannot  say  that  he  really 
knows  the  collection  in  less  time  than  a  week. 


17* 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

TZAESKO      SELO,      PAULOVSK      AND      THE 
ISLANDS. 

ONE  of  my  first  excursions,  after  reaching  St.  Petersburg, 
was  to  the  hill  of  Pulkowa,  seventeen  versts  south  of  the 
city.  There,  in  the  magnificent  astronomical  Observatory 
built  during  the  reign  of  Nicholas,  dwelt  a  brother-in-law 
whom  I  had  never  seen,  and  there  was  born  the  first  child 
who  has  a  right  to  call  me  uncle.  Procuring  an  open 
caleche  with  three  horses — the  Russian  troika — we  left  St. 
Petersburg  by  the  Moscow  road,  which  issues  from  the  city 
through  a  tall  triumphal  arch.  The  main  road  is  a  hundred 
feet  broad,  with  a  narrower  highway  on  each  side,  divided 
from  it  by  a  double  row  of  trees.  At  the  end  of  the  seventh 
verst,  the  road  to  Moscow  strikes  off  to  the  left,  while  that 
to  Pulkowa  preserves  its  mathematical  straightness,  so  that 
its  termini,  the  triumphal  arch  and  the  dome  of  the  Obser 
vatory,  are  visible  from  all  parts  of  it.  About  half-way 
there  is  a  German  colony  settled,  and  the  comfort  of  the 
houses,  no  less  than  the  blooming  appearance  of  the  little 


TZAKSKO    SELO,   PAULO VSK   AND   THE    ISLANDS.          395 

gardens  and  orchards,  presents  an  agreeable  contrast  to  the 
bare,  unadorned  Russian  villages. 

The  hill  of  Pulkowa  is  the  nearest  rising  ground  to  St. 
Petersburg,  and  though  the  highest  point  is  only  some  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Baltic,  this 
elevation  is  sufficient  to  command  a  panorama  of  between 
forty  and  fifty  miles  in  diameter.  On  the  summit,  sur 
rounded  by  scattered  groves  of  fir  and  birch  trees,  is  the 
Observatory,  probably  the  most  perfectly  appointed  institu 
tion  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  The  cost  of  its  erection 
must  have  exceeded  a  million  of  dollars.  On  passing 
through  the  spacious  halls,  rotundas,  and  towers  with 
moveable  cupolas,  I  had  cause  to  regret  my  inability  to 
appreciate  the  peculiar  excellence  of  the  splendid  instru 
ments,  and  the  ingenious  mechanical  contrivances  for  using 
them.  In  the  chief  tower  was  the  colossal  refractor  of 
Frauenhofer,  of  which  our  Cambridge  Observatory  (if  I 
remember  rightly)  possesses  the  only  counterpart.  The 
grand  hall  is  hung  with  portraits  of  distinguished  astrono 
mers,  among  whom  I  recognised  Hansen  and  Airy. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  passing  an  evening  with  the  Direc 
tor  of  the  Observatory,  the  venerable  Von  Struve,  whose 
name  is  well  known  in  America.  He  was  then  slowly 
recovering  from  an  illness  which  for  a  time  threatened  his 
life,  and  was  still  comparatively  feeble.  He  is  between 
sixty-five  and  seventy  years  old,  of  medium  stature,  with  a 
large,  symmetrical  head,  and  a  remarkably  benign  and  genial 
expression  of  countenance.  In  addition  to  his  astronomical 
acquirements  he  is  a  profound  Greek  scholar,  and  understands 
the  principal  modern  languages,  including  English,  which 


396  TEAVELS   IN   POLAND    AND   KUSSIA. 

he  speaks  witn  unusual  fluency  and  correctness.  He  is  per 
fectly  familiar  with  all  that  has  been  done  of  late  years  in 
America  for  the  encouragement  of  Astronomy  and  kindred 
sciences,  and  mentioned  the  names  of  Gould,  Pierce,  Gilliss, 
and  Maury  with  great  admiration.  Von  Struve  is  another 
example  of  the  truth  that  the  study  of  the  stars  need  not, 
as  in  Newton's  case,  make  a  man  indifferent  to  the  ameni 
ties  of  our  insignificant  terrestrial  life.  Like  other  astrono 
mers  of  my  acquaintance,  he  is  particularly  happy  in  his 
family  relations  and  takes  a  hearty  enjoyment  in  society. 
Leverrier  is  the  very  reverse  of  this,  if  what  I  have  heard 
of  him  be  true.  He  is  said  to  be  exceedingly  proud, 
reserved,  and  ostentatious  in  his  manner.  A  distinguished 
German  recently  visited  him  in  Paris,  with  a  letter  of  intro 
duction.  After  reading  it,  Leverrier  looked  up,  measured 
the  bearer  from  head  to  foot,  and  asked,  in  a  rude  imperti 
nent  tone  :  "  Que  voulez-vous  ?"  "  Eien^  coolly  answered 
the  German,  as  he  bowed  and  withdrew. 

At  the  western  end  of  the  hill  is  a  pile  of  granite  boul 
ders,  on  which,  Tradition  says,  Peter  the  Great  sat  and 
planned  the  building  of  his  capital.  The  distance  from  the 
city  is  too  great  to  make  the  story  probable.  It  is  very 
likely,  however,  that  this  may  have  been  one  of  the  Tzar's 
favorite  spots.  The  eye,  weary  of  a  narrow  horizon, 
inclosed  by  a  ring  of  dark  woods,  more  or  less  distinct, 
here  roves  with  delight  over  the  expanding  plain,  whose 
far  rim  is  lost  in  the  blue  evening  mists  of  the  Neva. 
The  many  spires  of  St.  Petersburg  sparkle  with  shifting 
lustres  in  the  sunset,  the  great  dome  of  St.  Izaak  blazing 
over  the  lesser  lights  like  the  moon  among  stars.  When 


TZARSKO    SELO,    PAULOVSK   AND   THE   ISLANDS.          397 

the  air  is  clear  Cronstadt  may  be  seen  in  the  west,  floating 
on  the  sea-horizon. 

The  celebrated  Summer  Palace  and  park  of  Tzarsko 
Selo  are  seven  versts  beyond  Pulkowa.  The  grounds, 
which  are  of  immense  extent — eighteen  miles  in  circumfer 
ence,  it  is  said — are  always  open  to  the  public.  My  newly- 
found  relative  had  been  kind  enough  to  procure  tickets  of 
admission  to  the  palace  and  armory,  and  we  made  choice 
of  a  warm  Sunday  afternoon,  when  tens  of  thousands  come 
out  by  railroad  from  St.  Petersburg,  for  our  visit.  Enter 
ing  the  park  from  the  western  side,  we  found  ourselves  in 
the  midst  of  gently  undulating  fields,  dotted  with  groves 
of  fir,  ash,  and  birch — an  English  landscape,  were  the  green 
a  little  more  dark  and  juicy.  Here  was  a  dairy  farm,  there 
a  stable  for  elephants,  and  a  little  further  an  asylum  for 
pensioned  horses.  The  favorite  steeds  of  the  Emperor, 
after  his  death,  are  withdrawn  from  active  service  and  pass 
their  days  here  in  comfort  and  indolence.  One  or  two  of 
the  horses  of  Alexander  I.  are  still  on  the  list,  although 
their  age  cannot  be  less  than  forty  years.  At  each  of  these 
institutions  we  received  very  polite  invitations  from  the  ser 
vants  in  attendance  to  enter  and  inspect  them.  The  invita 
tion  was  sometimes  accompanied  by  the  words :  "  I  am  a 
married  man,"  or  "I  have  a  family,"  which  in  Russia 
means :  "  I  should  not  object  to  receive  a  gratuity."  I 
was  not  a  little  perplexed,  occasionally,  until  I  ascertained 
this  fact.  One  day,  while  standing  before  the  house  of 
Peter  the  Great,  in  the  Summer  Gardens,  a  soldier  came 
up  to  me  and  said  :  "  Pray  go  into  the  house,  my  lord :  the 
keeper  is  married." 


398  TRAVELS  IN  POLAND   AND   EUSSIA. 

The  Armory  is  a  brick  building  in  the  Gothic  style, 
standing  on  a  wooded  knoll  in  the  Park.  The  collection 
of  armor  is  one  of  the  finest  in  Europe,  and  its  arrangement 
would  delight  the  eye  of  an  antiquary.  From  the  ninth 
century  to  the  nineteenth,  no  characteristic  weapon  or 
piece  of  defensive  mail  is  wanting,  from  the  heavy,  un 
wieldy  accoutrements  of  the  German  knights  to  the  chain 
shirts  of  the  Saracens  and  the  pomp  of  Milanese  armor, 
inlaid  with  gold.  One  of  the  cabinets  contains  two  sets  of 
horse  trappings  presented  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey — the 
first  on  concluding  the  peace  of  Adrianople,  after  Diebitsch 
had  crossed  the  Balkan,  and  the  second  when  Ibrahim 
Pasha  menaced  Constantinople  and  the  Sultan  invoked  the 
aid  of  Russia.  The  latter,  naturally,  is  much  the  more 
splendid  of  the  two :  the  housings  and  pistol  holsters  blaze 
with  arabesques  of  the  largest  diamonds.  There  are  many 
very  interesting  historical  relics  in  the  collection,  but  I  can 
not  give  the  catalogue.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  a  volume  of 
illustrations  has  been  published,  and  may  be  had  for  500 
rubles. 

As  we  advanced  toward  the  palace  the  grounds  gradually 
became  more  artificial  in  their  design  and  more  carefully 
tended.  The  sward  had  a  veritable  "  pile,"  like  imperial 
velvet :  it  appeared  to  have  been  combed  rather  than  raked. 
Not  a  dead  leaf  was  visible  on  the  exquisitely  smooth  gravel 
of  the  walks,  not  a  defective  bough  had  been  suffered  to 
remain  on  the  arching  avenues  of  linden  or  elm.  Nature 
seemed  to  have  taken  a  Turkish  bath  and  put  on  a  clean 
Sunday  dress.  There  is  not  an  ill  weed,  an  awkward  plant, 
a  frog,  toad,  snake,  or  bug,  in  this  expensive  Eden.  Usually, 


TZARSKO    3ELO,    PAULOVSK   AND   THE   ISLANDS.          399 

a  gardener  walks  after  you  with  a  broom,  to  efface  any 
footprints  you  may  have  left  behind  you,  but  for  some 
reason  or  other  we  were  spared  this  attention.  Woe  unto 
you  if  you  touch  a  flower!  But  there  is  little  danger  of 
that :  you  would  as  soon  think  of  cutting  a  rose  out  of  a 
drawing-room  carpet,  as  of  thus  meddling  with  this  super 
human  order. 

In  the  course  of  our  walk  we  came  upon  a  ruined  abbey, 
so  capitally  imitated  that  if  it  stood  anywhere  else  even  an 
old  traveller  might  be  deceived  by  it.  One  square  tower 
alone  is  standing,  and  in  this  tower,  which  you  reach  by  a 
wooden  staircase  built  over  the  ruins,  is  the  famous  statue 
of  Christ,  by  Dannecker,  the  sculptor  of  Ariadne  and  the 
Panther.  This  is  no  traditionary  Christ,  with  low  forehead 
and  straight,  insipid  features :  the  head  is  rather  that  of  a 
scholar  and  a  thinker.  You  are  at  once  struck  with  the 
individuality  of  the  figure.  He  is  repesented  as  speaking, 
turning  towards  the  left  and  slightly  leaning  forward.  A 
single  flowing  garment,  hanging  from  his  neck  to  his  feet, 
partly  conceals  the  symmetrical  yet  somewhat  delicate  form. 
The  head  is  large,  nobly  rounded  and  balanced,  with  a  pre 
ponderance  of  development  in  the  intellectual  and  moral 
regions  of  the  brain,  his  hair  long,  but  very  fine  and  thin, 
as  if  prematurely  thinned  by  thought,  the  beard  scanty, 
and  the  expression  of  the  countenance  at  once  grave,  gentle, 
and  spiritual.  The  longer  I  looked  upon  it  the  more  I  was 
penetrated  with  its  wonderful  representation  of  the  attri 
butes  of  Christ — Wisdom  and  Love.  The  face  calmly  sur 
veys  and  comprehends  all  forms  of  human  passion,  with 
pity  for  the  erring,  joy  in  the  good,  and  tenderness  for  all. 


400  TRAVELS  IN  POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

It  is  that  transcendent  purity  in  whose  presence  the  sinner 
feels  no  repellant  reproof,  but  only  consolation. 

I  have  seen  few  statues  like  this,  where  the  form  is  lost 
sight  of  in  the  presence  of  the  idea.  In  this  respect  it  is  Dan- 
necker's  greatest,  as  it  was  his  favorite  work.  He  devoted 
many  a  day  of  labor,  thought,  and  aspiration  to  the  model 
ling  of  the  head.  When,  at  length,  it  was  completed  in 
clay,  a  sudden  distrust  in  his  success  overwhelmed  him. 
Having  no  longer  confidence  in  his  own  judgment  or  that  of 
his  artistic  friends,  he  one  day  took  a  little  uneducated  child 
into  his  studio,  placed  the  head  before  it,  and  said  :  "  Who 
is  this  ?"  The  child  looked  steadfastly  upon  the  features, 
so  unlike  the  conventional  Christ  of  artists,  and  without 
hesitation  answered :  "  It  is  the  Saviour."  The  old  man, 
himself  a  child  in  his  simplicity  and  sincerity,  accepted  this 
answer  as  a  final  judgment,  and  completed  his  work  in 
marble. 

Our  way  led  on  over  straight  Dutch  canals,  past  artificial 
hills  and  rock-work,  through  a  Chinese  village  which  resem 
bles  nothing  in  China,  and  under  Babylonian  hanging 
gardens,  to  the  front  of  the  palace,  which  is  1,200  feet  in 
length,  and  rises  from  the  crest  of  a  long  knoll,  gently 
sloping  down  to  a  lake.  Some  fine  oak  trees  adorn  the 
lawn;  on  the  top  of  a  granite  rock  a  bronze  nymph  is 
crying  over  her  broken  pitcher,  out  of  which  rushes  a 
stream  of  sparkling  water  ;  and  on  the  lake  itself  a  pretty 
little  cutter  lies  at  anchor.  Arsenals  and  fortresses  in 
miniature  stud  the  opposite  shore,  and  on  a  Avooded  point 
stands  a  Turkish  kiosk  and  minaret,  the  interior  of  which 
is  a  sumptuous  oriental  bath,  presented  by  the  Sultan.  The 


TZAESKO   SELO,    PAULO VSK   AND   THE   ISLANDS.         401 

park  beyond  the  palace,  toward  the  village  of  Tzarsko  Selo, 
is  in  even  more  rigid  full  dress  than  that  through  which 
we  had  already  passed,  and  I  verily  believe  that  if  a  leaf 
gets  accidentally  twisted  on  its  stem,  some  one  is  on  hand 
to  set  it  right  again. 

All  the  pillars,  statues,  cornices,  and  ornaments  on  the 
long  palace  front  were  covered  with  heavy  gilding  in  the 
time  of  Catharine  II.  When  they  began  to  look  a  little 
shabby  and  the  gold  needed  replacing,  the  Empress  was 
offered  half  a  million  of  rubles  for  the  scrapings,  but  she 
replied  with  a  magnificent  scorn  :  "  I  am  not  in  the  habit 
of  selling  my  old  rags."  The  Imperial  banner  of  Russia, 
floating  at  the  mast-head,  showed  that  the  family  were  at 
home,  but  we  were  nevertheless  allowed  to  enter.  A  "  mar 
ried"  servant  conducted  us  through  the  apartments  once 
occupied  by  Catharine  and  Alexander  I.  Here  there  is 
much  that  is  curious,  though  no  splendor  comparable  to 
that  of  the  Winter  Palace,  or  the  Imperial  apartments  in 
the  Kremlin.  One  room  is  lined  entirely  with  amber,  a 
present  from  Frederick  the  Great.  The  effect  is  soft,  rich, 
and  waxy,  without  being  glaring.  In  others  the  panelling 
is  of  malachite  or  lapiz-lazuli.  Catherine's  bedchamber  has 
not  been  changed  since  she  left  it :  the  bed-posts  are  of 
purple  glass,  and  the  walls  lined  with  porcelain. 

Most  interesting  of  all,  however,  are  the  apartments 
occupied  by  Alexander  I.,  in  which  every  article  has  been 
preserved  with  religious  veneration.  His  bed  is  a  very 
narrow  mattress  of  leather  stuffed  with  straw,  and  the  en 
tire  furniture  of  the  room  would  not  fetch  more  than  fifty 
dollars  if  sold  at  auction.  On  the  toilet  table  lie  his  comb, 


402  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

breeches,  razor,  and  a  clean  pocket-handkerchief;  his  cloak 
hangs  over  a  chair,  and  his  well-worn  writing-desk  still 
shows  the  pens,  pencils,  bits  of  sealing-wax,  and  paper 
weights,  as  he  left  them.  His  boots,  I  noticed,  were  of 
very  thin  leather — too  thin  either  for  health  or  comfort — 
and  had  been  cracked  through  and  patched  in  several 
places.  His  Majesty  had  evidently  discovered  how  much 
more  agreeable  to  the  feet  are  old  boots  than  new  ones. 
But  he  is  quite  thrown  into  the  shade  by  Peter  the  Great, 
whose  boots,  at  Moscow,  would  weigh  ten  pounds  apiece, 
and  might  be  warranted  to  wear  ten  years  without  mend 
ing. 

Towards  evening  we  took  droshkies  and  drove  to  Pau 
lo  vsk,  which  is  about  three  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Tzarsko, 
Selo.  This  is  at  present  the  summer  residence  of  the  Grand 
Duke  Constantine,  but  the  park  is  at  all  times  free  to  the 
public.  It  is  of  great  extent,  the  aggregate  length  of  the 
walks  being  estimated  at  a  hundred  miles.  Here  Nature  is 
released  from  curling-tongs  and  stays ;  her  garments  adorn 
without  pinching  her,  and  her  hair  is  loosened  to  the  wind. 
For  this  reason,  Paulovsk  pleased  me  better  than  Tzarsko 
Selo.  Its  deep,  winding  dells,  threaded  by  natural  streams ; 
its  opulent  woods  of  ash,  birch,  and  elm ;  its  sequestered 
walks,  branching  away  into  neglected  forest  solitudes,  and 
its  open,  sunny  lawns,  sweet  with  the  breath  of  the  half- 
raked  hay,  speak  of  genial  culture  rather  than  art.  There 
is  here  an  artificial  lake,  surrounded  by  low  but  steep  hills, 
which  are  covered  with  summer  villas  and  terraced  gar 
dens.  A  cutter  on  the  water  and  a  full-rigged  mizenmast 
planted  on  the  hill  behind  the  palace,  give  evidence  of  the 


TZARSKO    SELO,    PAULO VSK   AND   THE   ISLANDS.         403 

Grand  Dukefs  naval  tastes.  Braisted,  with  a  sailor's  eye, 
criticised  the  rigging  of  the  mast  rather  sharply,  but  the 
princely  boys  who  run  up  and  down  these  shrouds  are  not 
expected  to  do  duty  before  the  mast,  and  so,  perhaps,  it 
makes  little  difference.  Besides,  to  learn  seamanship  on  a 
mizenmast  planted  in  the  woods,  is  like  learning  to  swim 
upon  your  dinirig-table. 

In  the  evening  some  thousands  of  Petersburghers  assem 
bled  around  a  pavilion  attached  to  the  railroad  station, 
where  the  orchestra  of  the  younger  Strauss  added  music  to 
the  unbroken  twilight.  This  is  a  speculation  of  the  railroad 
company,  which  pays  Strauss  15,000  rubles  for  his  own  ser 
vices  during  the  summer  months.  I  had  heard  better  music 
performed  under  the  direction  of  his  celebrated  father,  and 
looked  at  the  crowd  rather  than  listened  to  the  band. 
Here  were  civil  and  military  gentlemen  mixing  like  oil  and 
vinegar  in  a  salad  ;  noble  ladies,  some  beautiful  and  all  well- 
dressed  ;  fittes  dejoie,  rouged  and  crinolined,  hunting  alone 
or  in  couples ;  countless  nurses,  looking  after  children  in 
fancy  peasant  costume — red  shirt,  sash,  wide  trowsers,  and 
boots ;  pale,  slender  Circassian  officers,  resembling  antique 
Grecian  bas-reliefs ;  Persians  in  plenty,  each  with  an  entire 
black  sheep  towering  over  his  fox-like  face,  and  a  lively 
sprinkling  of  Armenians,  Cossacks,  and  Tartars.  When 
the  Emperor  is  at  home,  he  may  often  be  seen  here,  with 
the  Empress  on  his  arm  and  the  older  children  following, 
walking  in  the  crowd. 

We  devoted  one  evening  to  a  tour  of  the  islands,  the 
beauties  of  which  have  not  been  overpraised  by  travellers. 
There  are  forty,  altogether,  in  the  delta  of  the  Neva,  all  of 


404  TRAVELS   IX   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

which  are  included  within  the  precincts  of  the  city,  but 
only  seven  of  them  are  of  any  considerable  size.  Many  of 
the  smaller  ones  are  still  wild,  uninhabited  swamps,  fre 
quented  only  by  the  seal  in  summer  and  by  the  wolf  in  win 
ter.  The  others,  lying  beside  them,  crowded  with  palaces, 
villas,  and  gardens,  exhibit  the  difference  between  civiliza 
tion  and  barbarism,  in  Nature.  Crossing  the  Troitska 
Bridge,  to  the  large  Aptekarskoi  Island,  we  pass  on  the 
right  the  first  church  built  in  St.  Petersburg,  an  old 
wooden  structure,  with  green  domes,  such  as  may  be  seen 
in  many  a  country  village.  Even  before  leaving  this  island, 
the  city  proper  is  gradually  transformed  into  a  garden 
suburb,  with  scattered  houses  buried  in  foilage.  Following 
the  throng  of  carriages  and  droshkies,  we  cross  to  Kam- 
menoi  Island,  where  the  suburban  character  is  complete. 
Every  dwelling,  be  it  only  a  wooden  cottage  no  bigger 
than  a  tollman's  box,  sits  in  a  nest  of  flowers  and  hides 
itself  under  a  covert  of  trees.  The  farther  north  you  go, 
the  greater  the  fondness  for  flowers.  In  the  Tropics,  gar 
dens  are  planted  for  shade,  but  here  for  the  bloom  and 
odor,  the  bright,  transient  coloring,  for  which  the  eye  hun 
gers  after  six  months  of  snow.  Nowhere  is  so  much  of 
summer  crowded  into  the  space  of  three  months. 

I  was  going  to  compare  the  roads  on  these  islands  to  the 
eastern  part  of  Euclid  street,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but  there 
the  dwellings  and  grounds  are  altogether  of  a  more  stately 
character.  The  Russian  villas — datchas,  they  are  called — 
are  built  of  wood,  generally  without  regard  to  architectural 
style,  but  quaint,  cozy,  irregular,  and  picturesque.  Now 
and  then  you  see  a  genuine  Swiss  farm-house,  with  project- 


TZARSKO   SELO,    PAULO VSK   AND   THE   ISLANDS.         405 

ing  eavt  s  and  balconies  of  carved  wood.  Some  of  the 
handsomest  residences  are  veritable  log-houses,  the  trunks 
of  equal  size,  overlapping  at  the  corners,  and  simply  barked 
and  painted.  There  could  be  no  finer  model  for  an  Ameri 
can  farm-house,  especially  in  the  West,  but  with  us  the 
taste  for  glaring  brick  predominates.  Some  traveller  has 
said  that  in  Russia  the  expressions  "ra?"  and  "  'beautiful" 
are  synonymous.  The  same  thing  might  be  said  of  us.  I 
remember  one  house  between  Milwaukee  and  Racine  which 
was  pure  vermilion,  and  resembled  a  red-hot  lime-kiln. 
Many  of  these  datchas,  also,  are  touched  up  with  red,  and 
have  summer  awnings  of  striped  canvass,  fashioned  like 
tents  or  pavilions,  over  the  entrance.  Before  every  win 
dow  there  is  a  shelf  studded  with  pots  of  exotic  flowers. 

At  the  end  of  Karnmenoi  Island  is  a  Summer  theatre, 
where  French  vaudevilles  are  performed.  Beyond  is  Ye- 
laginskoi  Island,  whereon  the  Emperor  has  a  villa  and  gar 
den,  which  are  marvels  of  scrupulous  neatness  and  elegance. 
Through  every  break  in  the  embowering  woods  you  catch 
glimpses  of  the  clear  green  arms  of  the  Neva  on  either 
hand,  and,  as  if  this  mixture  of  land  and  water  were  not 
sufficiently  labyrinthine,  artificial  lakes  are  hollowed  in  the 
islands,  the  earth  being  employed  to  form  mounds  and 
ridges  beyond  their  uniform  level.  After  a  drive  of  five  or 
six  miles  through  these  enchanting  island-suburbs,  you 
reach  the  shore  of  the  Gulf,  on  Krestoffskoi,  and  may  watch 
the  sunset  moving  across  Finland,  until  it  becomes  morning 
over  Lake  Ladoga. 

If  you  would  see  all  this,  take  your  over-coat  with  you ; 
for,  although  the  thermometer  may  stand  all  day  at  90°  in 


406  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

the  shade,  with  evening  comes  a  fresh,  cold  air.  By  disre 
garding  the  custom  of  the  country  in  this  respect,  I  re 
ceived  a  beautiful  cold  in  the  head.  Until  midnight  the 
islands  are  alive  with  a  merry  multitude.  There  are 
pavilions  where  artificial  mineral  waters  are  drunk,  artificial 
Tyrolese  and  real  gipsies  sing,  and  the  national  dances  of 
Russia  are  danced :  smoking  is  permitted  in  the  open  air, 
and  brandy,  qvass,  champagne  and  German  beer  are  sold. 
The  little  steamers  running  to  the  Summer  Gardens  are 
laden  to  the  water's  edge,  and  it  is  morning  before  all  the 
pleasure-seekers  are  brought  home  again. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

VARIETIES     OF   THE     RUSSIAN     CAPITAL. 

BEFORE  leaving  Russia,  let  me  add  a  few  detached 
sketches  to  the  general  picture  which  I  have  endeavored 
to  give  the  reader,  of  St.  Petersburg  and  its  environs.  My 
description,  however,  will  be  far  from  exhaustive,  because 
I  purposely  refrained  from  making  my  visit  so.  I  hope  to 
see  Russia  again  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  less  hurriedly 
and  with  better  preparation. 

The  finest  building  in  Russia — in  all  Northern  Europe, 
indeed — is  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Izaak.  Commenced  in  the 
year  1826,  in  the  place  of  a  former  structure  erected  by 
Catharine  II.  and  Paul,  it  received  its  final  consecration  in 
June,  1858.  Thirty-two  years  of  uninterrupted  labor, 
backed  by  the  unlimited  resources  of  the  Empire,  were 
required  to  complete  this  gigantic  work.  Its  cost  is  esti 
mated  at  90,000,000  rubles,  or  $67,500,000,  but  a  large 
slice  out  of  this  sum  (as  in  our  own  Government  contracts) 
may  be  put  under  the  head  of  "  pickings  and  stealings." 
To  make  a  firm  foundation  in  the  swampy  soil,  piles  to  the 


408  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

value  of  a  million  of  dollars  were  driven.  Upon  them  rose 
a  basement  of  granite,  supporting  a  mighty  granite  struc 
ture,  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  crowned  by  a  huge 
dome  of  gilded  iron.  The  design  is  simple  and  majestic, 
and  the  various  parts  are  so  nicely  balanced  and  harmonized 
that  at  first  sight  the  Cathedral  appears  smaller  than  is 
really  the  case.  It  grows  upon  the  eye  with  each  visit,  but 
can  only  be  seen  in  its  full  magnitude  at  a  considerable 
distance. 

The  four  sides  are  fronts  of  exactly  similar  design  and 
dimensions — a  Grecian  pediment,  resting  on  sixteen  mono 
lith  columns  of  red  Finnish  granite,  sixty  feet  in  height 
and  seven  feet  in  diameter,  with  Corinthian  capitals  in 
bronze.  These  tremendous  shafts  emulate  the  marvels  of 
Dendera  and  Karnak.  In  fact,  the  great  hall  of  columns  in 
the  latter  temple  does  not  represent  as  much  art,  labor  and 
wealth.  The  dome,  which  is  a  little  less  than  that  of  St. 
Paul's,  in  London,  rests  upon  a  circular  colonnade  of  similar 
monoliths,  of  smaller  dimensions.  The  body  of  the  edifice 
is  of  gray  granite,  and  upon  each  of  the  four  corners  are 
groups  of  kneeling  angels,  with  candelabra,  in  bronze. 
Crowning  this  sublime  pile  is  the  golden  hemisphere  of  the 
dome,  which  so  flashes  in  the  sunlight  that  the  eye  can 
scarcely  bear  its  splendor.  Far  out  on  the  Gulf  of  Finland, 
it  glitters  over  the  evening  horizon  like  a  rising  star. 

The  interior  is  divided  into  five  vaulted  halls,  the  central 
one,  under  the  dome,  soaring  to  a  height  of  292  feet.  The 
massive  piers  which  support  them,  the  walls,  the  ceiling, 
and  the  recesses  for  shrines,  are  lined  with  the  most  pre 
cious  marbles,  whose  exquisite  beauty  of  coloring  reconciles 


VARIETIES    OF   THE   RUSSIAN   CAPITAL.  409 

the  eye  to  their  somewhat  ostentatious  magnificence. 
The  richest  and  loveliest  tints  are  here  combined — 
pink,  lilac,  pale-green,  purple,  dark-blue,  brown,  orange, 
and  violet — and  with  so  much  skill  that  the  lavish  display 
of  gold  loses  half  its  disagreeable  glare.  The  ikonostast, 
or  screen  before  the  Holy  of  Holies,  is  a  giant  wall  of 
wealth.  Eight  pillars  of  malachite,  fifty  feet  high,  bear 
aloft  its  golden  cornice  and  divide  its  surface  of  gilded 
silver  into  compartments,  whereon  are  painted  the  favorite 
saints  of  Russia.  The  altar  canopy  is  supported  by  two 
pillars  of  lapiz-lazuli,  bluer  than  the  ice  of  Polar  seas.  But 
wealth,  uncombined  with  taste,  can  only  impress  a  vulgar 
mind :  you  are  overwhelmed  by  the  glare,  not  touched  by 
the  beauty.  Aladdin's  Palace  may  be  built  of  clay,  when 
the  genie  is  Ictinus  or  Palladio. 

Across  the  Neva,  on  the  eastern  point  of  Yassili  Ostrov, 
are  two  immense  plastered  buildings — the  Academy  of  Arts 
and  the  Academy  of  Sciences.  Before  visiting  them,  how 
ever,  let  us  pause  a  moment  before  Falconet's  famous  statue 
of  Peter  the  Great.  After  having  seen  Clark  Mills's  statue 
of  Gen.  Jackson  rearing  on  his  hind  legs,  which  our  en 
lightened  legislators  have  pronounced  to  be  the  greatest 
thing  of  the  kind  in  the  world,  I  had  very  limited  expecta 
tions  of  Peter,  seeing  that  the  latter  does -not  rear  so  high, 
and  that  his  horse's  tail  touches  the  ground— which  is  a 
great  fault,  according  to  the  aforesaid  judges  of  Art. 
When  I  found,  however,  that  Peter  sits  his  horse  like  a 
man,  and  not  like  a  wooden  effigy,  and  that  the  horse  is 
arrested  in  a  position  which  he  can  maintain  for  an  instant 
without  tumbling  backward,  I  decided  that  I  had  been  a 

18 


410  TRAVELS    IN   POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

little  too  hasty  in  forming  my  conclusions.  The  long  tail 
of  the  horse,  and  the  writhing  serpent  upon  which  he 
tramples,  are  obviously  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  main 
taining  the  equilibrium  of  the  figure,  which  is  thus  secured 
without  too  great  exaggeration.  Gen.  Jackson,  on  the 
other  hand,  disdains  any  such  aid.  Having  borrowed  one 
of  Franconi's  horses,  trained  to  walk  on  its  hind  legs,  he 
needs  neither  serpent  nor  long  tail.  And  yet,  I  fear,  Peter 
will  be  pronounced  the  better  rider  by  every  impartial 
judge. 

The  Academy  of  Sciences  is  only  open  to  the  public  on 
Mondays.  Not  being  aware  of  this,  I  timed  my  visit  so 
unfortunately  that  I  was  not  able  to  see  its  interesting 
zoological  collections,  which  contain,  among  other  things, 
the  remains  of  the  Siberian  mammoth,  found  imbedded  in 
the  ice  of  the  Lena.  In  the  zoological  cabinet  at  Moscow 
there  is  also  the  entire  skeleton  of  a  mastodon,  but  of  rather 
smaller  size  than  that  which  was  formerly  in  Peale's  Museum, 
in  Philadelphia.  The  Russian  Academy  of  Sciences  is  a 
Government  institution,  and  is  intrusted  with  the  organiza 
tion  and  superintendence  of  all  geological,  topographical, 
and  astronomical  undertakings.  Its  President  is  Count 
Bludoff,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction,  but,  as  he 
was  absent  on  his  travels,  I  was  not  so  fortunate  as  to  make 
his  acquaintance. 

The  Academy  of  Arts  has  accomplished  but  little,  as  yet. 
Russia  has  furnished  some  good  sculptors,  but  no  painter 
who  could  fairly  be  admitted  to  a  first  place.  Even  Bru- 
loff,  who  is  generally  reckoned  the  greatest,  and  who  really 
was  an  artist  of  no  ordinary  power,  appears  meretricious 


VARIETIES    OF    THE    POJSSIAN    CAPITAL.  411 

beside  the  grand  old  masters.  In  the  gallery  of  Russian 
paintings  in  the  Hermitage,  I  was  particularly  struck  by 
the  crude,  exaggerated  manner  of  the  various  artists — a  dis 
tinction  which  applied  to  landscapes  as  well  as  figures. 
There  was  a  gale  on  the  Black  Sea,  which  was  one  mass  of 
raw  pink  and  pea-green.  Some  Circassian  landscapes,  how 
ever,  were  very  finely  and  boldly  drawn,  though  still  defi 
cient  in  the  main  charm  of  color.  No  people  are  prouder 
of  their  great  men  than  the  Russians,  and  in  no  other  coun 
try,  probably,  would  a  truly  great  artist  receive  more 
generous  support — but  Academies  alone  are  not  sufficient 
to  create  artists.  On  the  contrary,  they  rather  hinder  that 
free,  spontaneous  development  and  growth  which  all  Art 
demands,  and  without  which  it  will  never  produce  any 
thing  great  and  permanent. 

Toward  the  western  end  of  Yassili  Ostrov  stands  another 
institution,  which  is  unquestionably  the  most  perfect  of  its 
kind  in  the  world — the  School  of  Mines.  It  was  originally 
founded  by  Peter  the  Great,  for  the  purpose  of  training  a 
corps  of  mining  engineers,  and  with  the  gradual  develop 
ment  of  the  mineral  resources  of  Russia,  its  importance  and 
efficiency  can  now  scarcely  be  over-estimated.  Nearly 
the  whole  of  the  immense  building  is  devoted  to  collec 
tions  of  minerals,  models  of  all  kinds  of  machinery  used  in 
mining,  and  fac-similes  of  all  the  principal  mines,  with  their 
shafts,  galleries,  and  veins  of  ore,  constructed  with  the  most 
wonderful  labor  and  skill.  The  minerals  form  a  dazzling 
gallery  of  crude  wealth.  There  is  the  famous  nugget  of  the 
Ural — an  80  Ib.  lump  of  pure  gold ;  a  mass  of  malachite, 
weighing  4,000  Ibs. ;  a  single  perfect  beryl,  weighing  six 


412  TRAVELS    IN    POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

pounds,  and  valued  at  $30,000;  crusted  sheets  of  deep 
violet  amethysts ;  huge  blocks  of  jasper,  of  all  imaginable 
hues ;  slabs  of  precious  marble,  and  boulders  of  granite  and 
porphyry,  together  with  ores  of  platina,  silver,  copper, 
and  iron — bright  and  beautiful  spirits,  waiting  for  the  touch 
of  fire  to  be  released  from  their  dusky  prisons.  The  speci 
mens  are  of  the  rarest  and  most  costly  character,  filling 
several  large  halls. 

After  we  had  inspected  the  models  of  machines,  build 
ings,  and  mines,  an  old  soldier  conducted  us  into  the  cellar, 
gave  us  each  a  long  wax  candle,  and  unlocked  a  heavy 
iron  door.  We  entered,  and  the  hinges  closed  behind  us. 
As  if  liy  magic  we  stood  in  the  bowels  of  a  coal  mine — in 
a  winding,  narrow  shaft,  traversed  by  strata  of  clay,  coal, 
and  crumbling  slate-rock.  All  the  various  dips,  positions, 
and  characters  of  coal-beds  are  here  displayed  in  turn.  A 
labyrinth  of  mines  succeeded — silver,  lead,  copper,  gold, 
and  iron,  imitated  with  astonishing  fidelity  to  nature.  The 
dampness  of  the  soil,  which  filled  the  passages  with  a  raw, 
chill  air,  completed  the  resemblance.  At  intervals,  shafts 
from  above  (of  very  trifling  depth,  naturally)  penetrated 
this  subterranean  region,  and  illustrated  the  various  means 
of  communication  with  the  surface.  In  fact,  the  School 
of  Mines,  from  beginning  to  end,  is  one  of  the  most 
thoroughly  sensible  and  practical  institutions  I  have  ever 
seen. 

On  the  Aptekarskoi  Island,  just  above  the  Troitzka 
Bridge,  is  the  cottage  of  Peter  ike  Great — his  first  resi 
dence  in  the  young  capital.  It  is  built  of  logs,  and  con 
tains  only  three  small  rooms.  In  order  the  more  effectu- 


VARIETIES    OF   THE   RUSSIAN   CAPITAL.  413 

ally  to  preserve  it,  a  brick  house  has  been  built  around  and 
over  it,  and  the  rude  old  hut  has  thus  become  a  sort  of 
shrine,  whither  the  devout  Russians  flock  in  crowds.  The 
main  room  is  in  fact  a  religious  sanctuary,  hung  with  holy 
pictures,  and  hot  with  the  flames  of  a  dozen  wax  candles. 
At  the  time  of  my  visit  it  was  filled  with  a  crowd  of  com 
mon  people,  bowing  and  crossing  themselves,  muttering 
prayers  and  lighting  tapers,  in  an  atmosphere  so  unctuous 
and  stifling  that  I  was  obliged  to  retire  immediately.  The 
custode,  who  was  evidently  a  married  man,  unlocked  the 
inner  rooms  at  the  sight  of  a  silver  piece,  and  showed  me 
the  rough  table  and  stools,  made  by  Peter's  own  hand,  as 
well  as  the  tattered  sail  which  belonged  to  his  boat.  At 
one  end  of  the  house  is  the  boat  itself,  a  light,  trim,  sharp 
craft  about  fifteen  feet  long,  which  Braisted,  after  carefully 
inspecting  with  a  seaman's  eye,  pronounced  "  well  done !" 
It  would  be  weh1  if  all  apprentices  nowadays  learned  their 
trades  as  well  as  Master  Peter  of  Saardam.  It  is  curious 
to  find,  however,  that  the  man  who  first  broke  the  power 
of  the  Russian  priesthood,  and  forcibly  uprooted  so  many 
old  customs  and  superstitions,  should  now,  although  un- 
canonized,  receive  the  honors  due  to  a  saint. 

I  will  not  ask  the  reader  to  accompany  me  to  the  Cathe 
dral  of  our  Lady  of  Kazan,  or  to  the  Preobrajensky,  Smol- 
noi,  and  St.  Alexander  Nevsky  churches.  They  are  all 
quite  modern  in  character,  with  the  exception  of  the  Tar- 
taresque,  bespangled  spires  on  the  three  latter.  The  last 
named  contains  the  tomb  of  Suwarrow,  and  the  body  of 
the  saint  to  whom  it  is  dedicated,  in  a  coffin  of  massive  sil 
ver,  weighing  five  thousand  pounds.  This  relic  was  for- 


414  TRAVELS    IN   POLAND    AND   RUSSIA. 

merly  preserved  in  a  monastery  on  the  banks  of  the  Volga, 
whence  Peter  the  Great  transferred  it  to  the  capital.  Very 
soon  afterwards  the  saint  disappeared,  and  was  found  again 
in  his  old  place,  being  dissatisfied  (so  said  the  monks)  with 
his  removal.  Nevertheless,  Peter  had  him  brought  back  a 
second  time,  and  threatened  the  monks  with  the  severest 
penalties  if  they  allowed  him  to  escape.  It  is  needless  to 
add  that  the  saint  kept  perfectly  quiet  after  that.  At 
Naples,  during  the  French  occupation,  the  blood  of  St. 
Januarius  was  once  made  to  liquefy  in  the  same  arbitrary 
manner. 

Behind  the  Gostinnoi  Dvor  is  a  curious  market,  known 
through  Petersburg  as  the  Apraxin  HinoTc^  or  "  Louse 
Exchange,"  from  the  questionable  cleanliness  of  its  booths, 
occupants,  and  customers.  But  let  not  the  stranger  be  de 
terred  from  entering  by  the  natural  hesitation  which  the 
name  inspires.  It  is  a  second-hand  market,  or  bazaar,  simi 
lar  to  those  in  Moscow,  but  of  much  greater  extent,  con 
taining  upwards  of  five  thousand  booths.  A  few  paces 
after  leaving  the  noisy  Garden  street,  you  are  in  the  midst 
of  a  queer,  shabby,  ruinous-looking  town,  where  the  silence 
is  broken  only  by  such  cries  as  :  "  What  would  please  you, 
my  lord  ?"  "  Here  are  excellent  mattresses !"  "  A  very 
cheap  carriage !"  "  Pictures !  Behold  the  beautiful  St. 
Nicholas  !"  "  Iron  wheel-tires — here  they  are !"  "  Here 
are  the  swords !"  "  Brass  kettles — please  to  step  in !"  etc. 
The  wares  are  arranged  in  separate  streets,  but  without 
regard  to  their  fitness  or  resemblance,  and  everybody  ofiers 
you  what  he  has,  though  it  might  be  something  which  you 
never  buy.  We  were  simply  curious  strangers,  as  any  one 


VARIETIES    OF   THE   RUSSIAN    CAPITAL.  415 

could  see;  yet  we  were  pressingly  solicited  to  buy  old 
bedding,  leather,  rusty  iron,  household  furniture,  sleds,  salt 
fish,  shrines,  crosses,  and  pictures,  to  say  nothing  of  shabby, 
greasy  caftans,  and  damaged  hats,  which  could  not  even  be 
touched  without  a  heroic  effort.  To  judge  from  the  great 
extent  and  multifarious  character  of  the  various  bazaars, 
the  Russians  must  be  a  people  passionately  fond  of  shop 
ping.  Several  rows  of  booths  in  the  Louse  Exchange  are 
devoted  to  cheap  refreshments,  principally  tea,  qvass,  fish 
boiled  in  oil,  black  bread  and  raw  cucumbers.  Others 
again  are  filled  with  every  variety  of  dried  fruits  and  vege 
tables,  and  these  are  decidedly  the  most  agreeable  districts. 

The  fruit  shops  in  the  Nevisko  Prospekt  are  an  agreeable 
surprise  to  the  stranger.  Passing  before  the  windows,  you 
are  saluted  by  the  musky  odor  of  golden  melons,  the 
breath  of  peaches,  plums,  grapes,  oranges,  and  fresh  figs, 
which  are  here  displayed  in  as  much  profusion  as  if  they 
were  the  ordinary  growths  of  the  soil.  The  fruit  is  all 
raised  in  hot-houses,  and  I  did  not  venture  to  ask  the  price. 
This  is  one  of  those  luxuries  which  are  most  easily  excused. 

The  Botanical  Garden,  in  which  I  spent  an  afternoon, 
contains  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  tropical  plants  in 
Europe.  Here,  in  lat.  60°,  you  may  walk  through  an 
avenue  of  palm-trees  sixty  feet  high,  under  tree-ferns  and 
bananas,  by  ponds  of  lotus  and  Indian  lily,  and  banks  of 
splendid  orchids,  breathing  an  air  heavy  with  the  richest 
and  warmest  odors.  The  extent  of  these  giant  hot-houses 
cannot  be  less  than  a  mile  and  a  half.  The  short  summer, 
and  long  dark  winter  of  the  north  requires  a  peculiar 
course  of  treatment  for  those  children  of  the  sun.  During 


416  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

the  three  warm  months  they  are  forced  as  much  as  possible, 
so  that  the  growth  of  six  months  is  obtained  in  that  time, 
and  the  productive  forces  of  the  plant  are  kept  up  to  their 
normal  standard.  After  this  result  is  obtained,  it  thrives 
as  steadily  as  in  a  more  favorable  climate.  The  palms,  in 
particular,  are  noble  specimens.  One  of  them  (a  phoenix, 
I  believe)  was  in  blossom,  which  is  an  unheard  of  event  in 
such  a  latitude. 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  BALTIC  PROVINCES. 

THE  steamers  from  Cronstadt  to  Stettin  and  Ltibeck  were 
crowded  with  Russian  families,  bound  abroad,  and  all  places 
were  taken  weeks  beforehand.  I  therefore  shortened  my 
stay  by  a  few  days,  and  took  seats  in  the  Government  dili 
gence  to  the  Prussian  frontier,  via  Narva  and  Riga.  A 
special  passport  for  leaving  Russia  is  necessary,  and  the  old 
formality  of  having  your  name  published  three  times  in  the 
newspapers  is  still  adhered  to.  We  duly  appeared  in  the 
list  of  departing  travellers,  with  names  slightly  misspelled 
and  the  designation  of  "American  subjects,"  after  which, 
furnished  with  a  stamped  certificate  to  the  effect  that  no 
creditors  had  appeared  against  us,  we  repaired  to  the  Pass 
port  Office.  The  formalities  were  long  and  somewhat  tedi 
ous,  but  the  officials,  most  of  whom  spoke  three  or  four 
languages,  were  exceedingly  courteous  and  gentlemanly, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  we  were  put  en  regie.  No 
"  tea-money"  was  here  demanded  ;  the  legal  fees,  however, 
were  high  enough,  amounting,  in  all,  to  about  ten  rubles. 

18* 


418  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   KUSSIA. 

After  receiving  the  passport,  one  is  allowed  to  remain  three 
weeks,  so  that  the  publication  of  the  name  for  the  benefit 
of  creditors  is  of  no  practical  use. 

The  passport  system  of  Russia  has  hitherto  been  far 
more  onerous  to  the  subjects  of  the  Empire  than  to 
foreigners.  Under  the  reign  of  Nicholas,  the  minimum 
cost  of  a  permission  to  travel  abroad  was  fifty  rubles,  and 
was  even  then  arbitrarily  withheld  in  many  instances. 
Nobles  and  gentlemen  of  fortune  were  obliged  to  pay  pro 
portionately  more.  I  met  a  Russian  in  Germany  in  1845, 
who  had  paid  five  hundred  rubles  for  one  year's  leave,  and 
Prince  Demidoff,  it  is  stated  was  taxed  no  less  than  fifty 
thousand  rubles  annually.  Although  Nicholas  himself  tra 
velled  a"  great  deal,  he  appears  to  have  desired  exclusion  for 
his  subjects,  fearing  the  influence  of  new  habits  and  ideas 
upon  them.  Alexander,  on  the  other  hand,  trusts  the  deep- 
rooted  national  feeling  of  the  Russians,  and  not  only  per 
mits,  without  reserve,  but  encourages  travel.  A  passport 
now  costs  five  rubles,  for  burgher  or  noble,  while  a  merchant, 
travelling  for  the  sake  of  his  business,  pays  but  one.  As  a 
consequence  there  was  in  the  summer  of  1858,  a  general 
stampede  to  France,  Germany,  and  Italy,  and  of  all  the 
gentlemen  whom  I  hoped  to  meet,  not  one  was  at  home. 

The  distance  from  St.  Petersburg  to  Tauroggen,  on  the 
Prussian  frontier,  is  seven  hundred  and  eighty  versts,  or 
about  five  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  The  slow  post, 
which  we  took,  is  four  days  and  nights  in  traversing  it, 
including  long  delays  at  the  principal  stations.  We  took 
our  seats  at  six  o'clock,  on  a  hot  summer  evening,  the  sun 
still  three  hours  distance  above  the  horizon.  My  com- 


JOUKNEY    THROUGH    THE    BALTIC    PROVINCES.  419 

panion  on  the  inside  was  a  young  French  merchant  from 
Moscow,  a  fellow  of  twenty-four,  pale,  hollow-eyed,  knock- 
kneed,  and  already  showing  signs  of  baldness.  It  is  not 
pleasant  to  have  a  body  prematurely  broken  dowrn  by  licen 
tiousness  so  close  to  one ;  but  travellers  cannot  always 
choose  their  coach  or  bed-fellows.  On  applying  the  usual 
tests  to  the  Frenchman's  mind,  in  order  to  discover  whether 
there  were  any  sparks  remaining  in  such  a  heap  of  ashes,  I 
was  not  rewarded  by  any  appreciable  result.  He  venera 
ted  Louis  Napoleon,  and  declared  that  to  him  alone  was 
due  the  abolition  of  serfdom  in  Russia,  he  having  secretly 
driven  Alexander  II.  to  adopt  the  measure.  His  statements 
on  the  commonest  subjects  concerning  Russia  were  so  wide 
of  the  mark  that  I  soon  dropped  him  in  despair.  Besides, 
he  had  a  disagreeable  habit  of  naming  every  other  place 
than  Moscow  "  down  there."  (Ld  bas.)  Berlin,  Paris, 
Constantinople,  America,  St.  Petersburg — all  were  "  down 
there."  "Where?"  I  would  ask,  impatiently.  "Why, 
down  there."  Twenty-four  hours  of  this  conversation  was 
a  surfeit,  so  I  gradually  withdrew  into  my  shell,  and  before 
the  journey's  end  we  only  spoke  every  three  hours. 

Braisted  had  a  little  better  luck.  His  comrade  in  the 
coupe  (the  diligence  only  carries  four  persons)  was  a 
wealthy  Russian,  laboring  under  a  violent  attack  of  dyspep 
sia,  which  he  endeavored  to  cure  by  drinking  tea  and  eating 
immense  quantities  of  sour  milk.  He  was  a  hypochondriac 
on  the  subject  of  his  stomach.  He  ate  as  much  as  the 
remaining  three  of  us,  and  was  continually  lamenting  his 
loss  of  appetite.  There  was  a  time,  he  said,  when  he  had 
consumed  an  entire  roast  turkey  at  one  meal,  but  now  meat 


420  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

was  fatal  to  him.  Nevertheless  at  the  next  station,  where 
a  large  dish  of  cutlets  was  placed  before  us,  he  set  to  with 
the  determination  of  a  suicide,  and  ate  enough  (according 
to  his  theory)  to  have  caused  his  death.  He  frankly  con 
fessed  that  he  had  spent  a  large  fortune  in  his  younger 
days,  and  only  took  up  business  when  he  was  driven  to  it, 
but  he  had  since  then  prospered  exceedingly.  He  was, 
withal,  a  man  of  much  experience  and  intelligence,  and  the 
more  we  saw  of  him  the  more  reason  we  found  to  like  him. 
The  story  of  his  life,  which,  even  in  its  most  private  aspects, 
he  confided  to  me,  had  a  deeper  interest  than  was  evident 
on  the  surface.  He  illustrated,  without  knowing  it,  more 
than  one  of  the  many  puzzles  which  belong  to  his  race  and 
sex.  It  is  a  fact,  the  importance  of  which  can  never  be 
diminished,  that  the  full  and  true  history  of  one  man's  life 
is  worth  all  the  books  that  ever  were  written  about  Human 
Nature. 

For  the  first  three  hours  after  leaving  the  capital  we  fol 
lowed  the  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  toward  Peterhof, 
passing  a  series  of  the  most  charming  parks  and  villas,  the 
the  summer  residences  of  the  wealthy  St.  Peterburgers.  A 
long  ridge  of  gently  rolling  ground,  studded  with  groves 
of  birch  and  fir,  offers  natural  advantages  which  the  latter 
have  not  lost  sight  of.  The  dwellings  are  mostly  of  wood, 
not  distinguished  for  their  architecture,  but  look  comforta 
ble  and  homelike,  and  the  grounds  are  almost  universally 
laid  out  in  the  English  style,  with  sloping  lawns  of  the 
freshest  turf,  trees  of  unpruned  growth,  winding  walks,  and 
gay  flower-beds  of  a  single  hue.  For  fifteen  miles  this  fairy 
diorama  of  summer  palaces  passed  by  on  our  left,  while  on 


JOURXEY   THROUGH   THE   BALTIC   PROVINCES.  421 

the  right  the  Gulf  expanded  broad  and  blue,  from  the 
shining  domes  of  the  city  to  the  dim,  wave-washed  fortresses 
of  Cronstadt.  At  Strelna  we  left  the  coast,  and  struck 
inland  over  the  low  Esthonian  plateau  toward  Narva.  The 
post-stations  on  this  old  route  were  not  to  be  compared  to 
those  on  the  new  highway  between  Warsaw  and  Moscow, 
but  they  furnished  everything  we  needed,  and  the  landlords 
all  spoke  German  better  than  Russian. 

The  sun  set  precisely  at  nine  o'clock,  but  we  slept 
through  the  splendid  twilight,  each  jammed  into  his  parti 
cular  corner,  until  long  after  sunrise.  At  Jamburg,  a  con 
siderable  town  on  the  river  Luga,  we  took  advantage  of  a 
half-hour's  halt,  to  bathe.  We  were  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream  when  the  diligence  passed.  The  conductor,  how 
ever,  was  obliging  enough  to  wait  on  the  opposite  bank, 
and  apologized  for  leaving  us,  by  stating  that  he  did  not 
recognise  us  without  our  clothes.  He  is  not  the  only  man 
who  looks  at  the  coat  instead  of  the  face.  Two  hours 
more  brought  us  to  Narva,  the  little  town  whose  name 
rings  so  grandly  in  Swedish  history  and  song.  On  the 
eastern  bank  of  the  river  Narova  stands  the  village  and 
fortress  of  Ivangorod,  built  by  Peter  to  secure  the  favorite 
turn  in  his  fortunes,  five  years  after  his  overthrow  on  the 
same  spot.  With  such  a  beginning  as  this  unparalleled 
victory,  what  might  not  Charles  XII.  have  become,  had  he 
inherited  the  prudence  as  well  as  the  military  genius  of 
Gustavus  Adolphus  ?  A  boy  of  seventeen,  at  the  head  of 
8,000  men,  utterly  routing  an  army  of  50,000 !  When  one 
sees  the  sloping  bank  of  the  Narova,  on  the  top  of  which 
the  Russians  were  intienched,  and  pictures  to  himself  the 


422  TEAVELS    IN   POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

charge  of  that  little  band  of  Swedes  as  they  swept  up  the 
hill  in  a  blinding  storm  of  snow  and  sleet,  crying  "  Ur 
vagen,  Moskomter /"  (Out  of  the  way,  Muscovites!)  he 
cannot  but  acknowledge  that  there  are  few  events  in  his 
tory  so  stirring  and  sublime. 

Narva  is  an  insignificant  little  place  of  5,000  inhabitants, 
still  wholly  Swedish  in  appearance.  It  is  beginning  to  rise 
in  importance,  however,  through  its  cotton  factories.  The 
Narova  furnishes  a  splendid  water-power,  of  which  Baron 
Stieglitz  has  taken  advantage,  and  in  addition  to  the  large 
mills  which  have  been  in  operation  for  a  few  years  past,  is 
now  building  a  new  one  to  contain  150,000  spindles. 
Owing  to  the  judicious  protective  policy  of  Russia,  her 
manufactures  of  all  kinds  are  rapidly  increasing,  and  the 
cotton-mills  are  already  so  numerous  as  to  sustain  a  direct 
trade  with  the  United  States.  The  number  of  American 
vessels  in  Russian  ports  last  summer  was  probably  four 
times  what  it  was  five  years  ago.  At  Narva  the  people 
told  us  with  great  exultation  that  an  American  ship, 
freighted  with  cotton  bales,  lay  in  the  outer  harbor — the 
first  which  had  ever  been  seen  there. 

Through  the  hot,  breathless  middle  hours  of  the  day  we 
traversed  the  shore  of  the  Gulf,  looking  over  the  long, 
undulating  fields  of  ripening  rye  upon  its  blue  surface.  In 
the  afternoon  we  left  the  direct  road  to  Revel  and  struck 
southward  over  the  cold,  bare  Esthonian  plains  toward 
Lake  Peipus.  From  the  higher  ridges  the  eye  saw  only 
interminable  forests  of  fir,  and  even  in  the  hollows  where 
broad  tracts  of  cultivated  land  intervened,  the  character  of 
the  country  was  poor  and  cheerless.  The  post-stations 


JOURNEY   THROUGH   THE   BALTIC   PROVINCES.  423 

were  poverty-stricken  places,  where  we  could  only  obtain  a 
little  beer,  bread,  and  cheese,  and  the  night  (or  rather  the 
nocturnal  twilight)  was  the  more  welcome,  since  sleep  was 
no  loss.  By  the  next  morning  we  had  entered  Livonia  and 
were  descending  toward  Dorpat  from  the  ridges  above 
Lake  Peipus,  through  a  fertile  and  well-settled  country. 
Splendid  fields  of  rye,  which  appeared  to  be  almost  the 
only  gram  cultivated,  lined  the  road,  gleaming  with  change 
able  yellow  and  silver  tints  between  the  dark  masses  of  the 
evergreen  woods.  Comfortable  farm-houses  and  well-built 
villages  dotted  the  landscape,  which  basked  in  the  full  glare 
of  midsummer. 

In  Dorpat  we  had  but  an  hour,  the  greater  part  of  which 
was  devoted  to  breakfast,  so  that  we  only  saw  the  outside 
of  the  town.  It  is  a  very  neat,  cheerful  place  of  about 
15,000  inhabitants,  picturesquely  built  over  low  hills,  and 
divided  by  a  river.  On  the  old  Domberg,  crowned  with 
trees,  stand  the  Cathedral  and  the  Observatory.  The  Uni 
versity  is  one  of  the  first  in  Russia,  but  is  attended  princi 
pally  by  students  from  the  Baltic  provinces.  That  part  of 
Livonia  lying  between  Dorpat  and  the  Dwina,  embracing 
the  valley  of  the  river  Aa,  is  said  to  be  a  very  attractive 
region,  rich  in  natural  beauties  and  pictorial  reminiscences. 
It  is  called  the  Livonian  Switzerland,  although  none  of  its 
hills  rise  more  than  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
But  such  hills  are  Andes  to  those  who  have  never  seen  any 
thing  but  plains. 

We  were  about  thirty  hours  on  the  road  from  Dorpat  to 
Riga.  The  country  reminded  me  very  much  of  that  part 
of  Sweden  which  lies  opposite  Livonia — long  rolling  up- 


424  TRAVELS    IN    POLAND    AND    RUSSIA. 

lands,  belted  with  fir-woods,  and  warm,  winding  valleys, 
threaded  by  swift,  cold  streams.  The  Aa,  which  we  fol 
lowed  for  a  few  stages,  flows  through  a  charming  pastoral 
region,  full  of  lovely  and  tranquil  pictures.  The  Livonians 
are  very  much  attached  to  their  homes,  an  attachment 
which  arises  from  their  quiet  domestic  life  and  the  com 
parative  isolation  of  the  province.  There  are  many  feudal 
ruins  among  these  valleys,  each  of  which  has  its  traditions 
of  siege  and  battle,  love,  and  revenge.  The  chief  interest, 
however,  will  be  found  in  the  people,  who,  allied  in  many 
respects  to  the  Germans,  Swedes,  and  Russians,  have  yet 
characteristics  quite  peculiar  to  themselves. 

We  drove  into  Riga  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  thunder- 
shower,  on  the  third  afternoon  after  leaving  St.  Petersburg. 
The  guide-book  says  there  are  many  interesting  things  to 
be  seen  here — such  as  the  Peter's  Church,  the  Rathhaus, 
and  other  old  buildings  dating  from  the  Hanseatic  times — 
but  we  had  no  opportunity  of  visiting  them.  The  city  is 
now  being  greatly  improved  by  the  levelling  of  its  massive 
walls.  As  the  main  outlet  for  the  produce  of  Lithuania, 
Courland,  Livonia,  and  a  large  portion  of  Poland,  it  has 
always  enjoyed  a  very  considerable  trade,  which  will  be 
largely  increased  in  two  years  by  the  construction  of  the 
railroad  to  Dtinaburg.  We  were  gratified  to  see  the 
American  flag  among  the  shipping. 

We  crossed  the  Dwina  by  a  floating  bridge  a  mile  in 
length,  and  after  a  journey  of  three  hours  over  a  sandy 
plain,  reached  Mittau,  the  ancient  capital  of  Courland. 
The  grand  castle  built  by  Biron,  the  last  Duke  of  Courland, 
looms  over  the  quiet  little  town  with  an  air  of  ostentatious 


JOURNEY   THROUGH   THE   BALTIC   PROVINCES.  425 

mockery.  The  Courland  nobles,  though  decayed  and 
fallen,  as  compared  with  their  former  state,  are  said  to  be 
still  a  proud,  chivalric,  hospitable  race.  The  branches  of 
their  family  trees  stretch  through  both  Europe  and  Ame 
rica. 

That  night  and  all  next  day  we  journeyed  over  the 
monotonous,  sandy  swells  of  Lithuania — a  dreary  region  of 
dark  forests,  scanty  fields  of  flax  and  rye,  dirty  villages 
swarming  with  Jews  and  a  population  of  Slavic  type,  who 
spoke  only  the  unintelligible  Lettish,  with  a  few  words  of 
German.  We  had  been  four  days  and  nights  in  the  dili 
gence  and  were  beginning  to  feel  fatigued.  The  Russian 
experienced  still  more  violent  attacks  of  dyspepsia  and  was 
unable  to  procure  enough  sour  milk;  the  knock-kneed 
Frenchman  ceased  to  make  remarks  about  the  people 
"  down  there,"  and  stupidly  dozed  all  day  in  his  corner. 
We  had,  besides,  a  fifth  passenger  from  Dorpat,  who  had 
bought  the  conductor's  seat — an  old  fellow,  whose  gray, 
greasy  beard,  long  shaggy  surtout,  and  whining  voice, 
stamped  him  as  a  Jew  in  the  minds  of  all  of  us.  We  were 
not  a  little  surprised  therefore,  on  parting  with  him  in  an 
obscure  little  village  in  Lithuania,  to  find  that  he  belonged 
to  a  distinguished  Swedish  family  of  Esthonia. 

In  just  ninety-six  hours  after  leaving  St.  Petersburg,  we 
entered  Tauroggen,  the  last  Russian  station.  Escaping 
from  the  hands  of  Jews  who  changed  our  remaining  paper 
money  at  a  ruinous  rate,  we-  took  a  fresh  coach  to  Laugsar- 
gen,  the  first  Prussian  station,  about  seven  versts  distant. 
Two  stone  pillars,  a  bar  across  the  road  and  a  Cossack 
guard  marked  the  frontier.  When  the  bar  had  been  lifted 


426  TRAVELS   IN   POLAND   AND   RUSSIA. 

and  again  let  down  behind  us,  we  were  outside  of  Russia 
and  in  a  land  whose  people  and  language  were  most  familiar 
and  most  welcome,  after  those  of  our  own.  The  Prussian 
officials  greeted  us  like  old  friends ;  the  neat,  comfortable 
dwellings,  with  their  gardens  and  leafy  arbors,  were  a 
delightful  and  unexpected  sight,  after  the  bare,  forlorn 
houses  of  Tauroggen,  and  all  that  was  difficult  or  fatiguing 
in  our  summer  trip  was  over. 

We  went  on  to  Tilsit  on  the  Niemen,  by  extra  post  the 

same  night,  caught   three   hours'  sleep,  and   then   took  a 

« 
fresh  start  for  Konigsberg,  which  we  reached  in  five  days 

from  St.  Petersburg.  The  journey  is  not  very  fatiguing, 
and  though  so  rapid,  enables  one  to  see  the  outside,  at 
least,  of  a  large  portion  of  the  Baltic  provinces.  Hence,  I 
would  recommend  the  curious  traveller  to  choose  this  route, 
rather  than  take  the  steamer  direct  from  Stettin  to  Cron- 
stadt.  From  Konigsberg  it  is  fifteen  hours  to  Berlin  by 
railroad. 

. 

. 

&&  OF  THR 


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writings,  and  the  more  we  hear  of  him,  the  more  we  admire  him.  He  is  decidedly 
the  American  traveller,  and  travel  writer." — New  Haven  Courier. 

"  As  a  writer  of  travels  especially,  he  has  never  found  his  equal." — Buffalo  Demo 
cracy. 

"  As  a  vivid  delineator,  it  would  be  difficult  to  overmatch  Mr.  Taylor." — Liver 
pool  Standard. 

"  There  is  no  romance  to  us  quite  equal  to  one  of  Bayard  Taylor's  books  of  travel. 
Fact,  under  his  wonderful  pen,  is  more  charming  than  Fiction." — Hartford  Repub 
lican. 

Bayard  Taylor's  New  Work — 

GREECE,  RUSSIA,  &c.     (In  Sept.)  .        . 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


FEB 


194P 


njH  151966  8 


LIBRARY  USE  ONLY 

FEB  1  a  198j 

CIRCULATION  DEPT 
REC.  Clfc  FEBTF8 


LD  21-100m-7,'39(402s; 


/', 

Wr\ 

^F^        v^C^l-' 


. 


